Make Me
by thehelloitsme
Summary: After endless flirting and countless rejections, Claire decides to give Owen a shot
1. Chapter 1

Having meetings with your boss is nerve wracking enough, but when your boss is the knee-weakening, heart stopping Claire Dearing, meetings seem almost impossible to get through. I have had feelings for her since the moment I saw her, but what would a successful, gorgeous woman like her, want to do with me? I was a lost soul who, after my time with the Navy, somehow ended up on a dinosaur infested island run by the eighth richest man in the world.

Mr. Masrani was technically my boss, but he rarely ever visited the island, unless it was an emergency, so next in charge was Claire. She came to the Velociraptor paddock often enough for surprise reviews and safety examinations, but recently, she has been here more frequently than usual. I thought it had something to do with inGen trying to take my raptors and use them for insane field tests and eventually as weapons. It wasn't until Barry brought it to my attention, via a poorly timed joke full of sexual innuendos, that I even really thought that she could be visiting more because of me.

I flirt with Claire more than the average man should, meaning I have been shot down just as many times. I'll start with a really cheesy pick up line that I know will let me see her smile as she tells me to, "Have a nice day, Mr. Grady." Then I watch her hips sway as she makes her way to her expensive car and drive off, leaving all the guys to make fun of me for the rest of the day. I was going to make sure that today's meeting was different though. I am going to be a gentleman and charm her pants off!

The second I heard the tires of her SUV shift the gravel of the lot, I turned around and blocked the sun from my eyes, making sure it was her before I made any moves to go greet her. She got out of her car and stood by it, almost waiting for me to come to her. I grabbed a small hand towel and a bottle of water before making my way over, wiping the sweat off of my forehead and the back of my neck while I inspected her outfit choice. Claire was wearing a cream colored pencil skirt that clung to all of the right places and a matching blouse that looked like it had one too many buttons undone. I nearly chocked on my water when I looked up and met her eyes and saw that she was examining me the same way I was just doing. Maybe Barry was right, maybe she was really into me. I put the lid on my water and stuck my hand out for her to shake.

"Dearing," I started, "What can I help you with today, m'lady." I smiled at her and she just shook her head, laughing to herself quietly and staring at my outstretched hand.

"Well, Mr. Grady, I have some information to go over with you. Is there anywhere more... private we could go?" She scoped out the area around us and noticed just how many people worked with the raptors.

"Follow me." I turned quick on my heels and took another swig of water from my bottle, downing it and dropping it in a recycling bin nearby. Making my way to my office, I turned around a couple of times to make sure she was still there, trying not to overthink what was happening.

"What is so secretive that none of my men can hear?" I asked without turning around, hoping she wouldn't sense my nervousness.

"Well, Mr. Masrani wanted me to do another evaluation on you, to see if you are showing your full potential. He's afraid that you wouldn't be up for another challenge if one was thrown your way." She seemed to be just as nervous as me and when I turned quickly to take a peek at her once more, I swear I saw her adjusting her breasts to make them look perkier. I could've died right then and there. Was _the_ Claire Dearing trying to seduce me?

I open my office door and held it for her so she could walk in first, hopefully making her feel more comfortable. As she walked in, she examined my office, looking at all of the pictures on my desk while picking up a raptor stuffed animal my mom sent me when she heard about my new job. Claire smiled at it before putting it back and finally sitting down in the chair across from my own. She looked back at me standing in the doorway and smiled timidly at me before clearing her throat and nodding her head towards my chair.

"Are you going to join me Mr. Grady or should I just start without you?" She asked, her voice laced with seduction; my voice on the other hand, got stuck in my throat. I shut the door behind me, pausing for a second, wondering if I should lock it too. Not wanting to scare her away, I left the door unlocked and sat behind my desk, hands folded atop it, staring at Claire's face again.

"What does Masrani not think I can handle? Barry and I deal with four, carnivorous, meat-eating dinosaurs every single day. What more could this man possibly want to throw at me?" I asked, actually sort of upset for a moment. I understood he needed to make money and my raptors were not bringing in any, but Hoskins was enough. I didn't need more than one person telling me how to do my job.

"Well, Mr. Grady," she started, making me scoff.

"Owen." I said, making eye contact with her.

"Owen," she started again, licking her lip quickly and then softly biting it, "I may have told a little white lie." She crossed her legs, squeezing them a little tighter than normal and exhaling deeply.

"Oh yeah, Dearing is lying now? I guess the good eventually does go bad." I joked, trying to lighten the mood. She stood up from her chair and looked around again.

"You can call me Claire, Owen. I may be above you, but I've always hated such professional titles, they make me feel so old." She chuckled and picked up a picture frame from one of my filing cabinets. "When was this taken?" She asked, turning the picture around so I could see it. I was 20 years old in the picture, on a fishing boat with my brother and one of our friends. After a very slow start to our fishing trip, I had caught two largemouth bass and so had my brother, so we snapped a picture to remember the moment. It always made me smile because I rarely see my family anymore.

"About 7 years ago, my brother and I took a fishing trip." She put the picture back and kept walking. Making a comment on how I wasn't wearing a shirt before picking up another one and quizzing me on it. I smiled to myself and answered her questions with ease. She finally sat back in her chair and looked at me again, in silence, waiting for me to say something.

"So what are you lying about and why are you so curious about what's in my office? Is Masrani doing an inspection here soon too?" I joked. She stayed quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Masrani didn't send me here." Claire started, a pink color flushing across her cheeks as she looked down at her hands. If I had any doubt before, she was here for me for sure. She opened her mouth to speak again, but when nothing came out, I started instead.

"So you came voluntarily just to check out shirtless pictures of me in my office?" I teased. "That isn't like you Claire." She looked back up at me and stood, walking around the desk and pulling my chair out slightly to help me take the hint. I swiveled it until she was standing right in front of me, making room for her to stand between my legs if she wanted to. I looked up and noticed just how nervous she really was, sensing that she didn't do this often, which made my heart skip a beat.

"You don't have to be shy, Claire." I told her as I reached for her hand. She pulled back slightly, before realizing what she did, gasping and grabbing my waiting hand. I chuckled and pulled her a little closer between my spread legs, testing just how far she'd let me go. The blush had left her face at this point and she was shyly smiling to herself.

"I came because I have feelings for you and I don't know what to do about them. I've tried avoiding you, but that led to dreams and thoughts and needs..." She trailed off and stepped even closer, finally closing the gap between the two of us, moving her other hand to rest on my shoulder. Thank god I was sitting, because if I wasn't, I'm pretty positive I would've collapsed. Claire Dearing just basically told me she wanted me and I really wanted her too.

"You don't have to be embarrassed around me. Judge free zone." I told her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear and standing up so I didn't feel so powerless. "I have feelings for you too. I have for quite a while actually. You've just rejected me so many times that this," I gestured between the two of us, "never seemed like an actual possibility." I told her, moving my hands to her waist and pulling her in a little bit closer. Her hands met behind my neck and locked together, softly playing with my shaggy hair at the base of my neck that was in desperate need of a cut.

"Stop biting that lip, it's driving me crazy." I told her honestly, leaning in closer, trying not to make any sudden movements.

"Make me." Claire teased before my lips smacked onto hers. I pulled her closer to me so our bodies were now touching and she was making short, moaning noises against my mouth every time my fingers dug into her hips. I lifted her gently and sat her on my desk, so I didn't have to bend down as far to kiss her. She bit my bottom lip and pulled it gently before taking a moment and just examining my face. I stopped and took in her appearance as well. Her hair was a bit disheveled from my hands running through it and her lip stick was smudged from our previous actions. Her legs wrapped around my thighs and pulled me in closer, probably feeling vulnerable from me staring at her. I snickered, pecked her on the nose and smiled down at her.

"Should you lock the door?" She asked me, fingers still playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. I wanted to take this further, I really did, but I wanted to do this the right way.

"Go out with me." It wasn't a question. I didn't mean for it to come out so forceful and demanding, but I wasn't really sure how I got here. She looked taken aback by my statement, but she didn't smack me, or storm off, so I guess that was a pretty good sign.

"What if I'm just using you for your body," She teased, leaning in once to kiss my neck, making me audibly gulp and exhale, trying to calm myself down.

"Then I guess I should just lock the door and tell everyone in the paddock to go home for the day." I joked right back, making her laugh that laugh that made my knees weak. She unwrapped her legs from around my waist and let her hands fall to my chest. She brushed her fingers delicately down my body until they rested at my belt buckle. I gulped again and placed my hands softly on hers, knowing for sure that she must have felt the obvious protuberance that hadn't been there a couple minutes ago.

"A date sounds nice, Owen. Where are you taking me?" She asked. I released a breath I had no clue I was holding and leaned in to peck her lips once more.

"I'm making you dinner. Tomorrow night. My house." I had no clue when I decided this, but she seemed pleased with the information she was given. She nodded her head, told me she'd be there around 7 pm and hopped off of my desk.

After straightening out her wardrobe, she gave me one last kiss, teasing me a bit more, letting me nibble her bottom lip before stepping back and patting my chest once more. She started to make her way to the door, with me close on her heels. I opened the door and waited for her to make a move. Claire stepped into the hallway and turned once more to look at me before she made any sign of leaving.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked, almost shy again. I just answered with a nod and another kiss on the lips; I could kiss her forever and never get tired of it. "Enjoy your cold shower," she whispered in my ear before practically skipping towards her car. I chuckled to myself, but internally groaned at the truth behind her taunting. I was turned on and honestly have no clue how I controlled myself so much.

I walked out of the offices and towards Barry who was just finishing up feeding the raptors. He smirked at me and asked me how the meeting had gone. I told him some lie about how inGen was upset with our lack of improvement and how we really needed to step up our game. Barry laughed at me when he finally came close enough to take in my appearance.

"Nice lipstick, bud" he teased me, making me wipe my lips with the back of my hand before I heard him cackle like a hyena. "Not on your lips, Owen, your neck." He pointed at my neck and I could feel the blush form on my face as I turned quickly to find the nearest bathroom. I was never going to live this down, but it was worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! So sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I didn't think anyone would care about this story at all, but someone recently commented on it asking for an update and I got inspired. So again, sorry for leaving you guys without another chapter. I hope you enjoy this one immensely!

Owen's POV

The rest of my workday seemed to drag and I knew for a fact that tomorrow's shift was going to go by even slower. I have a lot to do before my date with Claire. I wanted to impress her, so I have to go straight home after work and clean everything. There are plenty of dishes in the sink, laundry all over my bedroom, beer cans scattered around the bungalow, and plenty of yard work to do. Knowing that she would be at my place made me even more eager, because for some reason, I think she will be more relaxed there. She's the most uptight person I know, but also the most hard-working and head-strong woman as well. Claire Dearing takes shit from no one and I am over the moon that she could be mine.

Right as my shift ended, I mounted my motorcycle and revved the engine, driving faster than I should have back to my bungalow where the cleaning process would begin. As I entered my house, I took a deep breath and made a beeline for the garbage bags that are stowed underneath my kitchen sink. I took the trash out and collected all of the returnable bottles, putting them into a clean garbage bag and placing them by the door. After the kitchen was up to my standards, disregarding the dishes in the sink, I headed for my bedroom where I gathered all of my laundry and started a load, putting away all of the previously cleaned clothes that had been sitting in a laundry basket for longer than I would like to admit. I ended up mopping the floors, cleaning the windows and weed whacking the front of the house, making sure Claire had no reason to be in a sour mood when she comes over tomorrow.

Going back inside, I make a list of ingredients I will need to cook dinner tomorrow night. I want to make a lemon-garlic pan-seared salmon with asparagus, to show her that I in fact am an amazing cook and more than meets the eye. I quickly realized that I have no actual food in my house, so maybe going shopping tonight would be best. The grocery list was scribbled on a napkin and I grabbed the keys to my pickup truck before tying my boots on and heading out the door.

I go to the grocery store often enough, I am a grown man and need to survive on something other than canned soups and Doritos. Even though I knew Claire would not mind if the fish was slightly burnt or the asparagus wasn't seasoned to perfection, there was something about this woman that made me want to please her… in every way possible. Whoa whoa, this was not the time to be thinking like this! First, I have to impress her and this meal is really my only chance to do just that. It calmed my nerves slightly to know that she was into me just as much as I am interested in her, so I tried my hardest to clear my head and continue my shopping. I have two nice slices of salmon in my basket, a bundle of fresh asparagus as well as the seasonings to go along with everything. Before heading to the checkout lines, I decide to get a nice bottle of wine to pair with the fish and to add a bit of class to our dinner. As I made my way over to the wine racks, I realize that I know nothing about wine, much less a wine that would pair nicely with the dinner I was preparing. I pick up a red and a white bottle, staring at them as if the labels on them were written in a different language. I was just about to take my phone out and simply google it, when I heard a familiar giggle come from behind me as well as arms wrap around my waist. I immediately freeze, petrified by the unknown of who was attached to my back.

"Is this all for me Mr. Grady?" the voice asks me. I relax against her touch when I realize that the voice belonged to Claire and a silly smile is plastered on my face as I turn around to face her.

"It is indeed Miss Dearing, but this was all supposed to be a surprise and now you've ruined it" I say as I try and hide the basket of ingredients between my legs, failing miserably. Claire takes a step back and arches one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, before letting her eyes check me out from the new distance she added.

"I'll pretend to be surprised Owen. I'll enjoy whatever meal you make me and salmon is actually my favorite." She told me, grabbing the bottle of white wine from my hand and placing it in my basket. "Looks like you were a little lost." She said, not breaking eye contact with me and biting her damn lip again. That lip will be the end of me. I exhale roughly and place the bottle of red wine back on the rack, thanking her and carefully picking up the basket, not wanting the wine to crush the fish.

"Tomorrow than Miss Dearing." I say politely with a nod of my head. I was trying my hardest to be a gentleman, even though it is taking everything in me to not kiss her right now. I start to walk away when she grabs my arm and makes me look at her.

"You can kiss me you know? I'm not going to think less of you." She says quietly, barely above a whisper. I shakily exhale and look into her eyes again, closing the gap between us and leaving my basket forgotten on the groun. Screw the fish.

"You need to stop biting that lip of yours. It is driving me insane." I say, pulling her closer to me so there is no more space between us. Her eyes don't leave mine as she releases her lip, letting her tongue gently trace over the indent her teeth left on it. I groan and place an innocent kiss on her lips, leaving her wanting more. After the quick peck, she exhaled and averted her eyes, placing her head on my chest and hugging me tight before letting go and taking a step back. She must have realized where she was and straightened herself up, trying her best to look as professional as possible. I looked around, noticing a stranger who had just turned into the aisle we were in. Claire rubbed my hand and squeezed it, smiling up at me shyly.

"Don't ruin this Owen." She said hopefully. "I'm giving you a shot and really, _really_ hope you don't let me down." She's been hurt before, this I knew. Claire was one of the most misunderstood woman I have ever met and there was no way I was going to let her slip away from me.

"Claire," I started, "Get ready to get the pants wowed off of you!" I told her, just loud enough for us to hear. Her cheeks started to redden and she rolled her eyes as she slowly turned around and walked away from me, letting my hand that had been holding hers slowly drop from her grasp as I stared off after her. _Fuck._ Tomorrow is going to drag.

I cashed out and loaded my grocery bags into my truck before heading home and finally cleaning the dishes and putting away the rest of my laundry. Claire Dearing was going to be the death of me. She already had me wrapped around her finger, right where she wanted me. She knew it and I knew it.

That night I could barely sleep. Visions of our dinner and the events that could take place after swam around in my head. I laid awake thinking of the life I could have with her and how she could be my better half. I have never _ever_ had thoughts like this about any other woman and honestly, it terrified me. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, I got up and went outside, laying in my hammock that I hung between two trees. The view of the moon over the river soothed my wild thoughts as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke with a start. Where was I? Oh yeah, I fell asleep outside again. The sun was bright in my face and the vibrations from my phone must have shaken me awake. I unlocked my phone and let my eyes focus on the screen. 6 missed calls from Barry and 2 text messages. 8:37 am. _Shit._ I was late for work. I ran inside, taking all the front steps at once. I quickly shed myself of my clothes and jumped into the shower. When I got out, I shot Barry a text telling him I was on my way and sped to work on my motorcycle. When I got there, there were more cars than normal, rich people cars. Of all days to be late, I choose the day we have important people visiting. I dropped my keys in my office and sprinted over to the enclosure to find Barry and Mr. Masrani conversing about the raptors. Barry looked up and saw me and squinted, angry that I was late for such an important day.

"Mr. Masrani, sir, sorry I'm so late, I had a rough night. What do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" I asked him as I clapped him on the back to get his attention. He turned around with a smile and asked me to debrief him on all things raptors. I took him on a tour and showed him the progress the girls were making, letting him interact with them as much as possible without actually putting him in their enclosure.

"Well, Mr. Grady," he started, "I'm very happy with the progress you and your men are making with these beautiful creatures. I would love to open this exhibit up to the public, but I'm not sure how to do that yet without putting someone in danger." He continued, staring me in the eyes and emphasizing the safety needed to make my raptors a public exhibit. "They are well trained and very interesting, but we will need to run some tests first. I think I will send Claire Dearing here around lunchtime so you two can discuss the safety measures we would have to take to make this a reality." He finished, looking at my face to see how I felt about it all. I smiled and shook his hand once more, telling him that I was ready for whatever hoops needed to be jumped through for this to happen. As I walked him back to his car, Mr. Masrani told me how he would have Claire contact me with information on a visit. I waved after him and exhaled heavily when his car was finally out of sight.

"You picked the best time to sleep in." Barry said, obviously upset.

"I am sorry Barry, long night." I told him, walking passed him and heading to my office. Masrani had been a nice distraction for the first few hours of my shift, but I knew the rest was going to drag. I just wanted to go home and make dinner and make sure everything was perfect. I was on edge and I knew it, so hiding away in my office to finish paperwork seemed like the best idea for today. I got to my office and started on said paperwork that should have been done last week. Better late than never, right? After what felt like days, but was really only two hours, I finished my work and got up to find lunch; something light, I did not want to spoil my dinner. I walked to the vending machine and put in my money, dispensing a soda and a bag of chips; not the healthiest, but it will have to do. When I got back to my office, I was surprised to find Claire sitting in my seat looking up and me through her lashes.

"Claire!" I exclaimed. She had startled me, but her presence was much appreciated.

"Mr. Masrani actually sent me here this time… to do work." She told me, laughing at herself. I closed the door behind me when I walked in and sat down across from her, letting her sit in my comfy chair and take over this meeting. We got a lot of work done and came up with some potential ways to make the raptors a public exhibit. I was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, but was started to get riled up. Claire looked gorgeous in her plum colored dress that hugged every curve _just right._ The neckline was low enough to distract me and it was obvious that she was not wearing a bra underneath that dress. She kept smirking up at me and making crazy eye contact. This woman was amazing.

"Is that all Dearing?" I asked, trying my hardest not to make it obvious that I was turned on. She uncrossed her legs and bit her lip _again._ Claire slowly stood up and made her way around my desk and sat down on my lap. I groaned, trying my hardest to be a gentleman. I needed to impress her first and show her that I wasn't just in this for the sex. I was about to say something when she put her finger to my lips, silencing me. "I know you want me just as much as I want you." I shook my head yes and pulled her closer to my body, letting her get more comfortable on my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in, stopping just before our lips touched and looked into my eyes.

"This can't affect our work." She says, seriously, looking more vulnerable than ever. My heart could have shattered. _The_ Claire Dearing, strong and successful, looked as though she was going to breakdown in my lap. I made eye contact with her once more, making sure she understood that I wasn't going anywhere or using her at all.

I closed the gap between us and our lips smacked together, bringing us closer than ever. She moved to straddle my lap and I grabbed her hips to pull her on top of me and not let her go. She let out a small moan when my tongue made its way into her mouth and I moved one of my hands from her hip up to her face, just savoring the feeling between us. Claire started to slowly rock on my lap, causing my pants to become unbearably tight. She knew what she was doing to me and I was loving every second of it. Her hands snaked in between us and grabbed the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up and off of my body, forcing us to stop kissing. The electricity between us was intense and she was scraping her nails up and down my lower abdomen, exploring the newfound territory. My hands move to her bottom and I pull her closer to me, helping her create a rhythm on my lap as she grinds down on me. Her hands are now in my hair, bringing us closer than I thought was humanly possible. The small whines that are coming from her mouth are making me hotter and my mind is getting fuzzy. She breaks away to breath and our foreheads touch, eyes on one another. She is keeping a steady pace on my lap and I feel like I'm going to explode.

"You're biting your fucking lip again." I state, out of breathe and turned on. My language surprised her and she quietly gasped, releasing her lip and taking a deep breathe, laying a light peck on my lips again. "What am I going to do with you Claire?" I said playfully as her head falls back, introducing me too even more of her skin. This woman is dry-humping me and I've never seen someone so beautiful before in my whole entire life. "Look at me Claire." I order, right after I left a series of kisses on her neck. She's panting and a small line of sweat is forming at her brow, but she does as shes told and looks me in the eyes. That's all it takes me for me to pick her up and place her on my desk. I quickly unbuckle my pants and pull them off, leaving me in only my boxers. Her eyes are drawn to the sizable bulge and she sits up and pulls me in by the elastic on my underwear. Her eyes move up to meet mine again as my hands move up her thigh and I feel her lace underwear underneath her dress. I groan as I think about what is under this dress. Suddenly, the room was full of all seriousness and I needed to know if she was okay with all of this. "I'll stop if you want me to." I simply state, staring into her lust-filled eyes. She smiles up at me and cradles my cheek, leaving a gentle peck, but reaching for my hands and placing them on the bottom of her dress. She helps me pull the article of clothing off and my eyes can't stay off of her newly exposed skin. I was right, no bra. "Holy shit, Claire. You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen." I state honestly, waiting for her reaction. "You're not too bad yourself, hotshot." She says, making me laugh. I separate from her and set her dress over the back of my chair, neatly. She smiles over to me and silently thanks me for not wrinkling her dress. I close the distance between us easily and crush our lips together, cupping her breasts in my large, calloused hands. Her mouth opens wide as she gasps when I nip at the skin of her throat, moving my mouth down her neck to explore the new areas of Miss Dearing that I had not been permitted before. Her hands move into my hair and she pulls and teases it while I take one of her erect nipples into my mouth and play with it using my teeth and tongue. My other hand made its way down her body, squeezing her curves gently and playing with her skin, taking mental notes on what makes her shiver and react. I find my hand at the waistband of her panties and I slide my hand in, feeling the wetness that I created. I look into her eyes and insert a finger into her opening. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she goes weak, letting her head rest on my shoulder as I create a rhythm inside this amazing woman. Her hands come up and hold onto the arm of the hand that is turning her on so much. Her breathing gets faster and I feel her biting down on my shoulder. Everything she is doing is turning me on immensely. I add another finger inside her and can't believe how tight she is. She moans out loud and I can hear her panting in my ear. "Owen, Owen… I'm gonna come, Owen." _Fuck._ Her grip on my arm intensifies and I ignore the sting of her nails breaking through my skin. That's gonna leave a mark, but you don't see me complaining. My two fingers pick up their pace as my thumb applies a steady pressure to her clitoris. She grabs onto my wrist and reconnects our lips, trying to find some way to distract herself from the intense pleasure she is receiving. Our lips are moving hot and fast and I take her bottom lip into my mouth, finally biting it like I've wanted to so badly, finishing her off with one final flick of my wrist. I feel her walls clench around my fingers and she screams out into my mouth, trying to control her moans by kissing me. When she has calmed down a bit, I pull my fingers out of her and insert them into my mouth, sucking her juices up and enjoying every second of it. Her eyes haven't left my own and she whines when I step back.

"What about you?" She asks, grasping the elastic of my boxers again, pulling me towards her. I pepper some delicate kisses on her face and leave a final one on her nose before stepping back. "I'm fine." I tell her, "You're pleasure is more important to me. Besides, you're still coming over for dinner tonight." I say, hopeful that we could have a repeat of what just happened in a few more hours. She blushes up at me and nods her head, telling me how excited she is.

I pick up my clothes off the floor and start to get redressed as I let her collect her dress from my chair and dress herself as well, turning around to give her some privacy. When I turn back around, she is fully clothed and looks as if she is ready to leave. I walk toward the door, realizing it is not locked and making a mental note to start doing that.

"Well I guess I'll be seeing you later, Claire." I tell her, slowly opening the door, not wanting her to leave, but knowing she's must. "Yes, Owen, you will be…. I hope to see some _more_ of you." She said before stepping into the hallway and placing a cloth item into the pocket of my shirt and smirking at me. Slowly, she strides out of my office and walks away, making me stare at her as she exits.

"I might have to change the menu tonight Miss Dearing." I shouted after her. She stopped in her tracks and turned around, giving me a confused look. "And why is that Mr. Grady?" She ponders. "I think I've found something I'd much rather eat tonight." I tell her, watching the color reappear in her cheeks, her jaw dropped as she cleared her throat, turning and swaying her hips a little bit extra. I've got her right where I want her.

I renter my office and try to finish my workday without thinking about what me and Claire have just done on my desk. I smile at the memories and sit back, thinking about how amazing tonight is going to be. A knock at my door grabs my attention and I tell the unknown person to come in. Barry strides in and starts talking about the raptors and how it's almost feeding time. I get up and follow him out when he stops me and points at my shirt pocket, asking me what's in it as he fishes Claire's black thong out of it. I blush and snatch it from him turning to go put it in my desk. When I return to the hallway Barry is still laughing and making jokes ab how we better get more funding and less rules now. I just roll my eyes at him and get ready for the relentless teasing that is about to ensue.

 **Thank you everyone for reading! Let me know what you thought and if you want me to write more!**


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of my work day was full of snide comments from Barry, but I knew he wouldn't tell any of the other guys about what he had found out. I know that if whatever happens between me and Claire becomes something more, she won't want it to be this huge public thing. Not sure if I like the thought of keeping my mouth shut about being with her, but I guess it's something I'll have to put up with.

Once my workday was finally over though, I repeated my drive home from yesterday, driving much too fast on my motorcycle and screeching on the breaks the second I got home, barely putting the kickstand down when I jumped off it and rushed into the house to get ready for my date tonight. I plugged my phone into the charger and stripped out of my clothes, ready to jump into the shower and cleanse myself of the sweaty tropical heat. After I was all clean, I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist and set off to the kitchen where I took the salmon out of its packaging and laid it on a cutting board, ready to be seasoned.

I checked the clock randomly and realized Claire would be here in less than an hour, so I left the salmon on the counter and took the asparagus out and placed it next to it. Quickly, I turned around and headed back to my bedroom to finish getting ready while the food sat and soaked up all of the juices and seasonings I had rubbed on it. I changed into a pair of nicer cargo shorts and a button up dressier shirt, to hopefully show Claire that this was important to me. I grabbed my phone and slid it into my pocket before towel drying my hair off and letting it sit and potentially air dry before she got here. Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed a pan and covered it with a piece of tin foil so that the asparagus wouldn't stick to it and the clean up would be a lot easier. I place the vegetables on the pan and added more seasoning and oil, putting the salt grinder down when I felt a buzzing in my pocket. It was a text from Claire…

 **C: Running a bit late, emergency at the triceratops enclosure.**

 **O: Be safe.**

I silently wonder how late "late" is and turn the stove top and oven off. I sit down on the couch and turn on the television, stopping on some show about home renovation. I lift my feet up on the coffee table and get comfortable. Who knows how long she'll be? After the current episode ended, I checked my phone: 7:35 pm. She'll probably be on her way soon, but I know she can't just leave an emergency situation. I don't want to risk the food getting cold, so I figure I'll just start it when she tells me she's on her way. I rise from my seated position and put all of the food in the fridge just in case, grabbing a beer on my way back to the couch and making myself comfortable again.

Suddenly, I'm awoken by the sound of my front door slamming shut. _Shit._ I fell asleep! I spring up off of the couch and check the clock above my stove: 8:27 pm. Claire is standing in my kitchen, looking guilty that she just woke me up, with a grocery bag in her hand. I make my way over to her and set my empty beer bottle on the counter top next to the sink and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"Hey! Glad you could make it little Miss Punctual." I teased as I enveloped her in my arms and squeezed her close to my body. "Sorry I'm so late." she started, smiling into my chest before looking up at me, "Angela, the triceratops handler, couldn't find one of the babies. Someone forgot to tell her we transferred one to the petting zoo section and the papers got all mixed up…" Claire exhaled exasperatedly and put her hand on her hip, stepping out of my grasp and swinging her bag onto the countertop and staring at me. She looked so flustered and out of place standing in my kitchen, but I liked it regardless. She smiled sweetly at me and shuffled to my fridge, grabbing the wine bottle and placing it on the counter next to her. "It's been a stressful day, I hope you don't mind if I crack into this now. Looks like you started drinking without me." I smiled at her and nodded, making my way over to the fridge without saying a word and taking out the food I had prepped, but not cooked, earlier.

"I fell asleep and forgot to start the food… I can have it ready in like 30 minutes." I inform her, feeling bad that she had such a stressful day and I couldn't even get dinner set on time. "I thought you were going to text me when you were on your way and I didn't expect to fall asleep, but I had a rough night and…" I was rambling on and on when she stopped me with that quiet giggle I heard at the grocery store. "I did text you." Claire simply stated, shrugging her shoulders to show me that it wasn't a big deal and she had no trouble waiting. I stopped and grabbed my phone from my pocket. Two new text messages… both from Claire.

 **C: So sorry I'm running so late!**

 **C: On my way now, I'll make this worth while… I promise.**

I look up at her and smile at the thought of what she could have possibly meant by making this worth while for me. "Well, would you look at that. I slept right through these." I said, confused as to why my ringer wasn't on like it usually was. "I guess we both had pretty stressful days, huh?" Claire looked over at me from the fridge, humming as a response, obviously not wanting to comment on her stressful day. She put the wine bottle away, smiling innocently at me and making her way over to the counter to examine the food I had prepped, looking pretty shocked at what she saw.

I immediately put the asparagus in the oven and took out a pan to sear the salmon in. I was more nervous than I thought I'd be, but knowing that Claire was just standing in my kitchen watching me cook made me feel…powerful. She relocated to my table with her wine glass in hand and quietly examined everything in her line of vision. Her feet were tucked under her and she smiled happily at me every time I snuck a peek at her. Everything felt so simple and so right, like I had been doing this my whole life. I turned myself so that I was now facing her and leaned against the stove, waiting for the salmon to be ready to flip.

"May I ask you, Mr. Grady, how did you become such a magnificent cook?" She grinned at me over her glass and I cracked a smile her way. "Well, Miss Dearing," I started, "In the navy I had to cook my own meals or I would have been eating buttered bread and noodles through and through." I laughed tenderly at the memories and continued, "One day I decided I might as well try cooking and remembered some of the recipes my mom used to make and couldn't believe I didn't burn anyone or anything in the process." I turned back to the food and flipped the salmon over, happy with how perfect they both looked when I flipped them. "Only like five more minutes until dinner is ready. Sorry I fell asleep earlier and didn't have it ready when you showed up," I rubbed the back of my head with my left hand and shyly shrugged my shoulders. Claire got up from her chair and walked over to me and looked into the pan, letting the hand that wasn't holding her wine drop down to her side and tangle into my own.

"Date Owen is different." She simply stated before finishing her glass of wine and walking over to the fridge to refill her glass, bringing the whole bottle to the table with her. _Different?_ Was that a good or a bad thing? Before my mind was able to overthink everything, the oven timer beeped, telling me it was time to take the asparagus out. I grabbed an oven mitt and carefully opened the oven, removing the perfectly prepared vegetables and placing them on the stovetop I wasn't using for the fish. I put the oven mitt away and grabbed two plates from my cabinet, placing them on the table along with silverware and a wine glass for me as well. I rush back over to the stove, removing both of the salmon from the pan and plating them right next to the asparagus. I was pretty proud when I looked down at the finished plate and looked up to find Claire pouring me my own glass of wine.

"Dinner is served m'lady" I said, stepping back and pulling her chair out for her. Claire's eyebrows raised in shock, laughing at me shyly and sitting down, letting me push her chair in. She handed me my glass and I sat directly in front of her, on the opposite side of the table. "Impressed?" I asked, hoping she would be.

"Owen, I don't know how you actually got all of this done, but yes, everything looks wonderful." She took another swig from her wine glass and picked up her fork, dropping it immediately and raising from her seat, taking two large steps to the counter with her grocery bag on it and shoving it into my freezer. I look at her bewildered and watched her as she made her way back to the table. "I hope you didn't make dessert, because I picked up a frozen cake on my way over. Call it a 'sorry I was so late' cake."

"You didn't have to, I feel bad that this wasn't all ready when you got here." I exclaimed, mad at myself for making her wait. "Alright Date Owen," she started, "I'm the reason you didn't make everything on time. If I had just filed the paperwork correctly for the triceratops transfer than there wouldn't have been any problems to begin with. I like you Owen, and its super nice that you want to impress me and show me that you can cook and clean or whatever, but I liked you before all of this," she gestured at the room around us, "and even though it warms my heart to know that you're nervous about tonight, I don't want this to change you in any way." She was nervous and rambling and her food was surely getting cold.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm acting like this." I stated simply, "I am nervous, yeah, and I did, _do,_ want this night to be perfect, but this isn't me. My bungalow was a mess and I never wear button up shirts like this," I unbutton the top few buttons on the shirt and sit back in my chair, taking a long sip from the wine glass, "It's just that I like you and somehow you're actually giving me a shot here and I don't want to do anything to ruin this." Claire is silently staring at me from across the table, deep in thought. "I'm sorry, Owen. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were less than what you are. I'm not nearly as important as I think I am, but this, _us,_ it feels right to me. I want to give this a shot if you do." I am in awe. Never in a million years did I think this woman would actually want anything to do with me. "Enough talk, more eating!" I say, trying to lighten the mood. It must have worked because Claire's head fell back and my bungalow was filled with the melodic sound of her laughter.

Dinner was a success in my book. We talked throughout and she really did enjoy the meal I prepared us. We cleared the table of the plates we had used and Claire made her way to my couch while I got rid of the leftover food we had not eaten. When I came back inside after bringing a garbage bag out so my small home wouldn't be filled with the smell of fish, Claire was standing in my living room, gently swaying her body to a song that must have been playing in her head. I leaned against the wall and silently watched her as her hips moved back and forth slowly and she set down her wine glass on my coffee table, spinning in a circle and looking right at me. She jumped slightly, shocked that I was watching her so intensely.

"Nice moves you've got there Dearing." I say with a smug grin on my face. Claire folds her arms across her chest and clears here throat, her eyes full of passion and desire. "Join me." She demanded, reaching her hand out for me to grab. I took a few steps towards her and pulled her close to my chest. We swayed together, her head tucked under my chin, feet occasionally stepping on my own. There was no music playing, but we danced together in unison and I never wanted to stop holding her.

"I'm scared" Claire broke the silence, but we continued to dance. "What could you possibly be afraid of?" I asked her, wondering how a woman so strong could make my heart ache with one statement. "I never thought I would have these feelings for you, but you are being such a gentleman and I'm just scared that when I leave this bungalow, you're going to be a completely different person tomorrow and I'm going to be left feeling like an idiot for trying to trust you." It all came out at once, no breaths taken in between thoughts, but it oozed with truth and I was afraid to look down at her. She was so vulnerable and I know she did not let many people in, so this was truly a big deal for her. "My mom died when I was 18." I told her, hoping that if I shared something super personal, she would trust me more and know that I wasn't going anywhere. She slowly separated our bodies and grabbed my hand, looking into my eyes with the most sincere look on her face. I continued, "Her and my father divorced when I was young, too young to remember him, but me and my brother Trent stayed with my mom. I haven't seen my dad since my 7th birthday, but he got remarried and never looked back. My mom and I were as close as can be. I told her everything and she never doubted my ability to make something of myself. She was my biggest supporter. She died two weeks after I turned 18 and I went into a downward spiral. I did things I know I shouldn't have and I treated women so poorly. I knew my mom would not have been proud of the man I was becoming, so I enlisted in the Navy to try and straighten my life out and be a good man. I did it all for her and hopefully she's looking down and she's happy with what she sees." I finished talking and felt Claire wipe a tear off my cheek that I didn't know had fallen. I wiped the unshed tears from my eyes and exhaled shakily, not daring to look at Claire.

"Thank you for sharing all of that with me… I know you didn't have to, but it means the world to me that you did." Claire grabbed my hand and walked me into my bedroom, not bothering to close the door behind us. "We don't have to do this tonight if you don't want to." I told her as she lead me toward the bed and had me sit down. Claire smirked at me but didn't say anything as she started to unbutton her blouse and let it fall off her shoulders and silently hit the floor. The sight of her bra clad chest was enough to set me off, but I couldn't move myself and let Claire take full control. She cleared the space between us and sat down on my lap, one leg on each side of my legs, firmly planting herself there while her hands moved to my hair and gently pulled at it, eliciting a moan from me. My hands came up and rested on her hips, directing her to move slowly against my lap to cause some friction. As I moan again, Claire slipped her tongue inside my mouth as we moved in synchronization with one another. My hands moved up her back, tantalizingly slow, tracing fake patterns on my way up to unclip her bra. She let the straps fall off her shoulders just like her shirt, but before I could remove it fully, she shoved her chest against mine and smiled into the kiss making me chuckle. Her hands moved down to the bottom of my shirt, lifting it off of my body and throwing my shirt and her bra carelessly around my room.

My jaw went slack when I got a good look at her with no top on. "Man, do I know how to pick 'em or what?" I joked before picking her up and tossing her onto my bed. She squealed when she landed and laughed at my comment, waiting in anticipation as I grabbed her ankle and pulled her closer to the end of the bed. I took her shoes and socks off and placed them on the floor with a _thud_ before letting my hand trace up her thigh and under her skirt while I made my way back up to her face, flashing my boyish smile at her. She pecked my nose and laughed when I scrunched it and started to kiss her neck. My hand that was under her skirt made its way to her lacey underwear and I felt my breath hitch in my throat at how wet she was. I playfully bit at her neck before pulling away and smirking at her. "Excited Claire?" She nodded enthusiastically before teasing me back. "But you're much too clothed Owen and quite frankly, so am I."

Her hands travelled down to my belt buckle and I felt her frantically unclip it before pulling it through the loops and tossing it off the side of my bed. It was my turn to laugh at her move and I let one of my fingers enter her and her head hit my pillow with purpose. The moans that were coming out of her were animalistic and if I didn't know any better, I would say she hasn't been handled this way in her life. My mouth moved back to her neck as I sucked and teased her delicate skin while I inserted another finger into her letting my thumb apply pressure to her clit. Claire was panting and her hand moved to my bicep as her nails began to dig into my skin. To be honest, it was extremely hot how turned on she was and I wanted to see her go further, no, I _needed_ to see her come undone in my arms. My thumb began a figure eight pattern on her sensitive bud and my two fingers drove deep inside her as I started to whisper naughty things into her ear, taking her lobe between my teeth and lightly biting it, just to see what would happen. Claire's body shuttered and I felt her walls start to contract around my fingers. "That's my girl," I whispered as I felt her nails break through my skin and her jaw dropped open, letting quiet whines escape. "You can do this baby, come for me." I whispered, bringing my other hand up to her breast to play with her nipple, trying to push her over the edge. That was all it took and Claire was spiraling. I watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she bit her lip to stop the loud moans from escaping. "Let me hear you Claire." I whispered to her, pulling at her lip with my teeth. She moaned and cried out in a deep voice that turned me on to no end.

I let her ride out her high before I removed my fingers from within her and licked them clean. Our eye contact didn't break once, but my pants were very tight now, much tighter than before and I think she noticed. Her hand ran over my bulge to the waistline of my shorts before unbuckling them and pushing them off me. I stood up and let them drop, watching her as she sat up and lifted her butt, pulling her skirt and now ruined lace panties off, letting me ball them up and throw them somewhere behind me. "You're trying to kill me." I state, smirking as she rolled her eyes. "Me killing you?" She asked, "I think its the other way around after what you just did to me." She finished before pulling me by the band of my boxers so I was standing in between her legs this time. Before she could touch me, I dropped my boxers and crawled up her body, letting us get comfortable before going any further.

"If you want me to stop, we can stop." I told her in all seriousness. She smiled sweetly up at me, "I want this Owen… I want you." She told me before wrapping a leg around me and pulling me closer. My length was impossibly hard and so incredibly close to where I wanted to be. "I have condoms in the drawer next to you." I stated before leaning over and searching for one. "I'm on the pill and I'm clean" she told me in a business like manner. My head dropped to her shoulder and I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding in. "You're for sure gonna kill me Claire." I told her in all honesty.

She giggled in my ear and reached between us, pumping me in her hand a few times before leading me to her soaked entrance. I moaned out against her neck as I entered her for the first time, one of my hands rested on her hip while the other one was next to her head, holding my weight up so I didn't crush her. We reached a steady rhythm as I drove deep inside her and pulled out almost all the way before repeating the pattern. I know I was driving her crazy, but I was determined to make her remember this forever. Her arms were wrapped lazily around my neck and her fingers were woven into my hair as she pushed our faces together for a heated, passionate kiss. She would mumble little nothings into my mouth and didn't mind when I bit her lip when she broke away for air. I was close, super close, but I was going to make this last for her. When I felt her foot dig into my butt I knew she was almost there. Her breathing became even more ragged and our kiss broke, making me open my eyes and stare at her lovely face.

"Open those eyes Claire… look at me baby!" I told her as I felt her walls contract around my swollen member. Her eyes shot open and looked around my face, bringing one hand up to move my mouth her hers again and play with the stubble on my chin, almost checking to make sure I was real. I broke away from the kiss and moved my hand that was on her hip down to her clit again, to help her reach her breaking point. Her eyes were lost in mine as she came, loudly and beautifully, never breaking contact once. As soon as she came, I followed her and laid against her, spent and sweaty, stroking her hair, not removing myself from her yet.

"Jesus, Owen. If I knew we would be that good together…" she trailed off. I went to move off of her and she moved her foot to my butt once again, stopping me from removing my length from inside her. "Not yet, please," She said shyly, blushing, but not breaking eye contact, "Just… I don't know, let me feel you." Jesus fuck. This girl was definitely going to kill me. "You kinky thing." I teased her before thrusting once more and pulling out when she moans, flopping over and laying next to her, pulling her to lay on my chest. Our legs twisted together and found a comfortable position while I relocated my blanket and draped it over our sweaty and sedated bodies.

"Owen…" Claire squeaked quietly about fifteen minutes later, turning to look up at my face. I put an arm behind my head and looked down at her with questioning eyes. She looked so young and vulnerable and it made my heart skip a beat. "Claire…" I responded. She smiled and traced invisible patterns on my chest, breaking eye contact, but still smiling. "Just don't break my heart okay?" Claire asked, but it wasn't really a question. She needed me and I needed her. I knew it and she knew it. At this point, I don't think there's anything that could break me from this girl. I smiled down at her and nodded.

"Oh and Owen…" She said some time later. I was almost asleep this time and opened one eye to look at her. She wasn't looking at me either and I was almost positive that her eyes were closed as well. I grunted to let her know I was barely conscious, but listening regardless. "You're mom would be very proud of the man you became." She stated, curling closer into me and planting a couple of light kisses on my chest. I pulled her in tighter and kissed her hairline. _Nothing was going to separate me from this woman._


	4. Chapter 4

The sun shown through my window and directly into my eyes, stirring me from my deep slumber. I stretch my arms above my head and slowly blink the sleep away while taking in my surroundings. I notice Claire isn't laying beside me in bed and my heart skips a beat. _Had last night been a dream?!_ The thought was quickly shaken from my mind when I noticed the steam that was drifting throughout my room. My bathroom door was wide open, like usual, but my shower was running and inside was a very naked Claire Dearing, washing her body and humming along to another non-existent song that was only playing in her head. Even though I couldn't see her body fully due to the steam that was clinging to the glass shower door, my imagination was running wild. I start to feel my member stir and I swing my legs over the side of the bed, abandoning my blanket to get a better look at the goddess of a woman that is naked in _my_ shower.

As I walk through the threshold, I smile to myself at how natural this all feels. Claire is acting like a completely different person compared to the business Claire I'm used to being around, but she's fun and free and she doesn't have the stress of work weighing her down.

"Enjoying the show?" I hear Claire ask, which shakes me from my thoughts and makes me chuckle out loud.

"Not a bad way to be woken." I state simply and walk over to my sink to brush my teeth. My morning breath is next level after I drink and I don't plan on scaring Claire away this quickly. Once my breath is minty fresh, I turn around and make my way to the shower, opening it in a rush so I don't get water all over the floor and join Claire. I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head on her shoulder as I kiss her cheek and let the water cascade over us.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked innocently, enjoying the feel of holding her in my arms even though I know I'm not the only one who can feel my erection digging into her rear end.

"Slept like a baby" She told me before turning in my arms and bringing her hands up to my chest, exploring the newly exposed skin in the daylight. I brought my face down to her level and kissed her chastely on the lips. She hummed into it and kept me in place, deepening the kiss and turning me on so much more.

"This was just supposed to be an innocent shower before work." I told her when she broke the kiss off so we could both breathe again. She laughed at my statement and ran a finger along my length to emphasize just how wrong I was.

"Whatever you say Mr. Grady" She teases me and pushes me so my back is against the cold shower wall. I hiss at the chilling touch, but my attention is immediately drawn back to Claire as she lowers herself to her knees. I close my eyes and let my head hit the wall behind me, preparing myself for whatever she wanted to do to my body.

I turned the water off just so Claire wouldn't feel like she was drowning while she went down on me. Her beautiful mouth wrapped around me perfectly and she knew exactly what she was doing. It bothered me for a moment when I got to thinking about how much practice she has had, but an overwhelming sensation just below my belt drew me back to the real world. She knew just how much pressure to apply and when was the most appropriate time to use a little bit of teeth. What killed me the most was when she would take me deep in her throat and look up at me, searching my face for any sign of disapproval. Both of us knew she wouldn't find any, but the innocence and feelings that radiated from that one glance was enough to end me.

I came much quicker than I would have liked, but it was early, what do you want from me? The second after I finished, I grabbed her arms and brought her up to my face, turning the water back on when I felt her shiver. We shared a few innocent kisses, but mostly just stood under the warm water enjoying each others company.

"I hate to ruin this moment," I start, "but I have to be at the paddock in an hour and after last nights _activities_ I really need to eat something." I felt Claire bury her face in my chest and laugh, which made me smile.

She separated herself from me and stepped out of the shower. I wiped the steam off of the glass door and watched her wrap herself up in a raggedy tan towel she must have found in my linen closet. After patting herself dry, she towel dried her hair and strutted into my bedroom where she threw on one of my tee shirts and her underwear and exited my room all together. I quickly turned the water off and followed her lead, almost slipping on the water I let escape from the shower.

When I got into my bedroom, I put on a pair of workout shorts before walking into the kitchen to find Claire cutting up the frozen ice cream cake she put in my freezer last night. Saying Claire Dearing is a perfectionist in all field would be a fair accusation. She placed the now slightly melted pieces of cake on separate plates and placed them at the table. I grabbed two forks and joined her, stopping when we met halfway to give her a simple peck on the lips before letting her go and put the rest of the cake back in the freezer.

"Thanks for breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day." I declare, teasing her and wishing that we didn't have work at all today. My bungalow was again filled with the sound of her lovely laugh and my insides twisted. I could listen to her laugh every second of every day and that terrified me. I was scared my feelings were stronger than hers, but I didn't want to dwell on that now, not when this was all so new.

"Not a problem at all, but I do need to ask you something…" Claire said, making her way back to the table to eat her cake. This was every five year olds dream. I look up at her with a quizzical expression on my face. "What…uhm… what are we?" I stare at Claire, shocked. I sit there, silent for a moment, thinking about how to respond. After what felt like _much_ to long, I look back up at her and open my mouth to talk, but stop when I see the worried expression on her face and the tears that are forming in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey" I say quietly while getting up and scooping her into my arms and taking her over to cuddle on my couch, leaving the now melted cake forgotten at the table. "Claire why are you crying?" I tuck her head under my chin and feel her exhale heavily. _She feels safe._

"I just… ugh!" She exclaimed in a frustrated manner, "I like being here and being with you and I'm so scared the outside world is going to ruin this and I don't want that to happen." She calmed down and checked her watch. _30 minutes until we both had to be at work._ Claire got off my lap and sat next to me, locking eyes with me again. "I like you a lot Owen, but I haven't been in any kind of relationship in the three years I've been on this island and I know you have. Not to be harsh or anything, but I don't want to be just another girl that you hide out with in your bungalow and ignore in public while you mindlessly flirt with other girls." _Ouch._

"Claire… I've never brought anyone to my bungalow. I've never made dinner for any of the other women I slept with. I have had one serious relationship in my whole life and it was before the Navy. There's something about you that I can't explain. I just want to be with you and I want you to feel safe with me. You're the only one, apart from Barry, that knows about my mom. You're not like any of the other girls at all." Her tears were streaming now. She grabbed the sides of my face and brought me in for a kiss. Not a heated kiss or a rushed kiss, but a kiss that was full of passion and feelings. I kissed her back, but pulled away from her, standing up and checking her out with a smirk on my face.

"You look mighty fine in nothing but my tee shirt." I say, bringing her hand up above her head and making her spin around for me. She giggled and I could tell from the look she gave me that she was thankful for me lightening the mood. "You're not too bad yourself Owen." She replied before brushing a hand down my naked torso and pulling me in close by the band of my shorts. I loved it when she used my first name and I loved it even more when she controls the situation and pulls me in. I grabbed her hand and lead her back into my bedroom to get ready for work.

When we were both all ready to go, I grabbed a water and a banana from my fridge before turning to Claire and watching her grab an apple for the road. _Thank God I grabbed some fruit at the grocery store the other day._ We walked out to our vehicles and said our goodbyes for the day, promising to connect later and hopefully make plans for that evening.

When I got to the raptor paddock, something felt off. I parked my bike and went to find Barry before feeding time. He was putting rats in the bucket for me when I found him and I laughed so he would know I was there. Barry looked up at me and grinned, standing up and walking over to me to discuss training tactics that I should try with the girls today. I grabbed the bucket of rats and made my way to the catwalk above the enclosure, placing the bucket at my feet and verbally informing one of my men to let the girls out. After a very successful training session, I decided to make my way to my office to try and get some more paperwork done. Right when I was about to finish, my phone went off, signaling that I had a text message. It was from Claire!

 **C: I had a great night… and morning :) Can't stop thinking about your hands**

I smiled at it before responding.

 **O: I'd like to say the pleasure was all mine, but we both know that's not true.**

 **C: You'd be correct Mr. Grady. Join me for lunch today?**

My heart skipped a beat. I knew she wanted to see me again, but this soon? Before I could answer I got another message.

 **C: Bring me a sandwich from the deli, I didn't have time to grab anything and I'm going to blame it on you.**

 **O: I didn't hear you complaining**

 **C: No complaints yet, but there will be if a turkey sandwich is not in my belly by 12:30**

 **O: A woman after my own heart. See you at noon.**

I quickly checked the time and realized I had to leave soon if I was going to make it to the deli and back to Claire's office before noon. I quickly stood up and made my way to my bike. Right as I kicked the stand up to leave, Hoskins decided he needed my attention immediately.

"Owen! Where are you headed off to?" He screamed from a distance.

"Lunch." I didn't have time for this.

"We need to talk!" He sauntered on over and I exhaled angrily while putting my kickstand back down and sitting on my bike waiting for him.

"This can't wait until I get back?" I ask, upset and wanting to see Claire.

"No. It cant, Owen. We pay you to give us reports on these creatures and I don't have any reports." He stated simply, crossing his arms and staring at me.

"They're coming, we just… are trying some new strategies and want to make sure they're effective before we report on them. Wouldn't want these _creatures_ to hurt anyone." He huffs at me and squints, not sure if he should believe what I was saying or not. I quickly check my watch and realize I'm for sure going to be late.

"Hey, you got a hot date or something?" Hoskins teases and elbows me in the side.

I push my kickstand up again and rev my engine before shifting gears and driving off to the deli. In my rush, I made it there in record time and grabbed Claire and myself sandwiches and drinks for lunch. When I pulled up to her office, I got off my bike and took the stairs three at a time, too anxious to wait for the elevator. Once I reach the 16th floor, I realize I must be causing some kind of scene. I'm winded and slightly nervous, but Claire's assistant Zara gets my attention before I can focus on anything else.

"Owen! Follow me." She says, grabbing my arm and bringing me towards Claire's office. Once we turned the corner and were walking towards her desk and Claire's office, she drops her voice so only I could hear her talking. "I don't know what you did, but Claire came in in such a good mood today." She smirked at me and winked knowingly. I stuttered something, but nothing worthwhile came out when my attention was drawn to Claire's voice as her office door creaked open.

"Zara! Could you please leave Owen alone! He brought me lunch and I really _really_ need that turkey sandwich." She said with a chuckle as she reached for the grocery bag I was holding, grabbing my arm that Zara just dropped and dragged me into her office, shutting and locking her door behind us.

Claire quickly made her way to her desk and tore open the grocery bag and grabbed her sandwich and the bottle of water I had thrown in for her. She laid it all out on her desk and started eating immediately. I walked over to the desk and pulled up one of the two chairs she had set up presumably for meetings. I took a bite out of my sandwich and started laughing when I looked up and Claire was on her last bite.

"Someone was hungry, huh?" I joked with my mouth full, chewing and then reaching for my own bottle of water. I started chugging it when I realized just how tired I was from walking up all of those stairs.

"Well I didn't exactly have an actual breakfast." She stared me down and raised an eyebrow at me. Claire crumpled up her sandwich wrapper and threw it in her garbage can before taking a sip of her water and reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out a bag of pretzels.

"And who's fault is that?!" I inquired, pushing her to blame me for the cake breakfast that seemed like a good idea at the time. "Not saying I didn't have a good time this morning, because I _definitely_ did, but we should've probably set an alarm or something so we weren't so rushed." She smirked at my response.

"I set an alarm, but when I woke up, you were asleep and you looked so…" she was searching for a word, "innocent… and we both know you are anything but innocent." Her eyes drilled into my own and dared me to look away. She had her bottom lip held hostage by her bottom teeth and the feeling in the room changed drastically. She leaned over her desk, showing off a fair amount of cleavage, before saying, "You can touch me if you want."

I got up, walked completely around Claire's desk, pulled her chair out and scooped her up into my arms, setting her down on the edge of her expensive mahogany desk before connecting our lips together for a heated kiss. Her hands immediately twisted into my hair, pulling and tugging it every which way while mine untucked her dress shirt from her skirt and found a home on the warm skin of her hips. Every once in a while I would give her hips a reassuring squeeze which made her physically relax more. We made out for quite a long time before I pulled away, tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and kissing her chastely on the lips before getting up and helping her onto her feet again.

"I would love it if you spend the night again." I say, putting it all out there, squeezing her hip once more and looking desperately into her eyes. Claire smiled shyly up at me before tucking the same piece of hair behind her ear again like I had just done. "I'd love to, but I'll bring take out or something this time." She laughed at me while watching me put all of our garbage from lunch into the bag I brought it in and throw it all out in the trash can. "Sounds perfect, but I have to get back to my girls now." I trailed off while walking to her door, feeling her on my heels as I made my exit.

Before I was able to open the door, she tugged on the back of my shirt and turned me around so I was facing her. "I would like you to use these hands on me again tonight," she tempted me, tracing a light pattern over my fingers. "Oh, baby, don't you worry." I started with a cocky grin, "These hands are going to trace every. single. inch. of your body tonight." I winked at her and leaned down, pressing a delicate kiss just below her ear. I took her earlobe between my teeth and gently tugged at it, causing Claire's skin to break out with goosebumps and inhale sharpely. The sexual tension radiated between us and it took all of my willpower not to bend her over that desk of hers and have my way with her. I knew I couldn't, but it didn't stop my imagination from roaming. This lunch date made me even more excited for all of the future lunches we could share and all of the _activities_ we could get involved in.

Once she regained her composure, she unlocked the door and opened it wide for me, hovering in the doorway as I turned around and leaned against the frame. I knew Zara was looking at us and decided to make a spectacle out of us. I grabbed Claire by her waist she pulled her flush against my chest, making her squeal in surprise as our lips met in a heated kiss once more. Her hands were flat against my chest, not pushing me away, but not roaming around like usual. We broke apart and I gave her a gentle peck on her nose before taking a couple steps backwards, bringing her hand with me. "Well aren't I just the luckiest man in the world?" I said, checking her out thoroughly before she pulled her hand from my own and tried to hide the blush that was forming on her checks as she shooed me out of her building. "Goodbye Owen." She said simply, earning a shit eating grin from me as I made eye contact with Zara, who winked and gave me a thumbs up.

 _I could get used to this._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is a little bit different than the other chapters, but I thought it was necessary. Well, enjoy and review! All of your feedback means the world to me**

When I got home from work, I grabbed my fishing pole from my front porch and walked down the steps and down a trail I made for myself that ends right where the water begins. I spend a lot of time fishing because it helps me clear my mind and just simply relax. Even when I don't catch anything, I am at ease with the world and everything just seems right. Bass were my all time favorite fish to catch, but whatever makes it's way onto my line is fine by me. I always bring a cooler full of water down with me, just in case I catch anything worth while. After about 20 minutes of fishing without getting one single nibble, I was about to give up when I felt a snag as I was reeling in. I battled with the fish and happily unhooked the largemouth bass I had caught. Claire said she would text me when she was on her way, so I figured when I got her text I'd make my way up to the house and shower quick before she got here. As I was reeling in a rather large sunfish that had tried its hardest to eat my bait, I heard my ringer go off signaling a phone call. I threw the sunny into the cooler with the bass and answered the phone call from Claire.

"Hey Claire! What's up?" I asked.

"Hey Owen. Nothing, just walking to my car now. Do you have any ideas on what I should pick up for dinner?" Claire asked me.

"Well, I have been fishing since I got home so if you don't mind fish two nights in a row I could grill these bad boys up. I'll see if I can catch a few more, but I don't mind cooking."

"Whoa! Okay, that actually sounds amazing. I'm going to head to my house to get a fresh change of clothes and I'll be over. Maybe like 20 minutes."

"Yeah, just text me when you're on your way so I can bring the fish up. Feels like it's gonna rain soon anyways."

"Okay perfect… wait! Where are you fishing?" Her response made me chuckle.

"There's a path I made by my bungalow. Best fishing on this side of the island!" I boasted and it was her turn to laugh.

"I didn't realize you were actually into fishing. I thought the poles outside Sunrio were just for show." I heard her car engine start over the phone as I recast my line, waiting patiently for some more dinner.

"I'm impressed you knew my bungalows name, but no. I am just _that_ kind of man. Fishing is definitely my favorite past time." Claire hummed over the phone and the sound sent an electric current right to my stomach. _The thought of me fishing turned her on?_

"I'll see you soon Owen." Right as the words exited her mouth, I felt a snag on my line once more, drawing my attention back to the water.

"I got something! Dinner is served! Alright I gotta go Claire!" I said quickly before letting my phone drop to the ground as I battled with the fish on my line. To my surprise it was another large mouth bass, much bigger than the first one I caught. I unhooked him and threw him in the cooler with the other two fish. I lidded the cooler once I felt the first few raindrops and headed back up to the house. Leaving the cooler on the porch, I walked inside and quickly showered to rid my body of the sweaty and fishy smells that lingered from my day.

As I was stepping out of the shower, I heard Claire's car door close and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly dried off and put a pair of shorts and a tee shirt on before walking into the kitchen just as she opened the front door, smiling at my cleanliness as we walked towards each other to share a kiss.

"Did you see the fish?" I boasted, letting my hand rest on her lower back as I pushed it gently and lead her right out the door she just came in through.

"I saw the cooler, but was too scared to look in at the dead fish." She responded honestly, watching me intently as I crouched down by the cooler and took the lid off. I heard her gasp when she realized I hadn't killed the fish yet.

"You're not scared of fish are you Claire?" I asked, my voice laced with a teasing tone. She scoffed at me and rolled her eyes, but took and involuntary step back when I scooped one of the bass up and smacked it down on my filleting table.

"Wait! You're going to do that right _here_?" Claire squealed, stepping back even more, looking horrified.

"Where else would I do it?" I asked, keeping one hand on the fish and picking up my butchering knife I had brought out earlier. "You can go inside if you want. I'm not forcing you to watch this, but it really isn't that bad." Claire looked back in the cooler at the two remaining fish before looking back up at me and nodding her head, signaling me to go ahead and kill it. I chopped its head off first and then its tail. Next, I spun it to the side and sliced down the middle to get all of the bones out. When I had two bone-free filets, I slide them down the cutting board and reached into the cooler for the next fish. As I slice and diced the other two fish, Claire watched in amazement at my handiwork, making a squealing noise every time I cut a head off. I placed all of the bits I wasn't using back into the cooler, lidded it and kicked it out of my way.

"You're not throwing that out?" Claire asked me horrified. I looked up at her confused and followed her gaze to the cooler which made me chuckle and shake my head no.

"That's for my next fishing session. Gotta chum the water! Maybe we could go out tomorrow." Claire looked up at me with wild eyes, but followed me inside when I started walking in with the tray full of filets, mumbling something about this all being "so wild".

I quickly seasoned the fish before moving back outside to use my grill I had on my porch before the drizzling rain turned into a downpour. Claire was leaned up against the railing as she watched me grill our dinner up in wonder. We had a light amount of small talk going on, but when I heard my phone ringing again, I had no clue who could have been texting me.

"That might be Barry…" I started, "Do you mind going to check what he wants?" I asked Claire who nodded and walked inside. It was quiet for a while, but I didn't think anything of it until Claire came storming out of my bungalow with her overnight bag and car keys in tow. She slammed the door and ran off my porch into the rain and off to her car. I immediately dropped my spatula and chased after her.

"Claire! Where are you going?!" I screaming, but she made no move to turn around and acknowledge me. "Claire! Stop!" I screamed again. I caught up to her when she got to her SUV and I put my hand on her door to stop her from opening it. "What the hell Claire, where are you going? Is everything okay?" I asked, fully concerned and completely soaked. She finally turned around and looked me in the eyes. She was angry. Livid would be a better word. Her facial expressions were hard and she had tears in her eyes, but didn't look sad at all.

"Who is Mackenzie?" She spat at me, her voice sounding like she was going to murder me.

"What?" I asked, completely lost.

"Don't play dumb with me Owen. Who. Is. Mackenzie?" Her eyes drilled into my soul and if looks could kill I would for sure be dead.

"I was talking to a Mackenzie a little over a year ago, why?"

"Why did she text you?"

"I have no clue Claire, honest."

"Owen, she said, 'I had a great time last night', what the fuck are you trying to pull?" a tear rolled down her cheek and my hand involuntarily came up to wipe it off, but she batted my hand away and pushed me a step back.

"Claire, I haven't talked to Mackenzie since we broke our 'relationship' off" I said, using air quotes on the word relationship. "I haven't even seen her since then. Why would I ruin this?" I asked, stepping closer to her again and bringing my hand up to caress her cheek. Claire leaned into my hand and relaxed a little bit more, letting me wrap my arms around her and bring her in.

"It's down pouring Claire, come back inside." She looked up at me and sighed, dropping her head to my chest and releasing a sob she had been holding in.

"The only real boyfriend I ever had cheated on me with some whore who was willing to do things that I didn't want to do…"

"Hey, look at me Claire. I like you a lot. I would never, ever, cheat on you, but can we _please_ finish this conversation inside? We are going to get sick if we stand out in this rain." She finally cracked a smile and walked past me, toward the bungalow as I leaned down and picked up her bag. When she got to the porch, she turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me passionately. I respond immediately and push her backwards so we were both under the covered porch now. Suddenly, I smelled burning and broke away quickly, aggravated that I let the fish burn.

"Well shit… I guess we should've gotten take out." I said, holding up a charred piece of fish. Claire sighed and moved closer, hugging me around the waist and whispering an apology into my back. I shrugged and turned the grill off, taking her hand and bringing her inside to explore the kitchen for something to quickly put together to make a meal.

The rain was getting worse and neither one of us wanted to go out in the storm, so I turned on the television just in case there were any weather advisories and walked back into the kitchen to find Claire holding a box of bow tie noodles and a jar of sauce.

"I can easily make pasta." She said, opening all of my cabinets to find where I was hiding my pots and pans. I laughed at her and pointed to it, watching her as she filled it with water and placed it on the stove. "I'm sorry about freaking out." Claire said a couple of minutes later while I was pouring her a glass of wine. I looked up at her before answering. "It's not a big deal, but I just want you to know that I will never, _ever_ cheat on you Claire. Ever. Sure, it hurt me when you accused me of cheating, but it's in the past now." I moved closer to her and handed her the wine, watching intently as she took a sip. "I like you a lot and I wouldn't let someone like Mackenzie get in the way of this. I wouldn't let anyone get in the way of this. Im so happy, happier than I've been in much too long." Claire didn't respond, but continued to cook. I set the table and waited for her to finish before talking again.

Dinner was ready quickly and pasta was exactly what I wanted. I scarfed down two bowls while Claire just ate a single bowl and when we were done, we both pushed our bowls forward and sat in silence for a minute.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked Claire when she finally looked up at me. She nodded her head, her face etched with worry. "I understand why you'd be so angry, but why not just talk about it? Why run away? Because I can't live like that. There are some people that I used to associate with that do stupid things to make sure I don't move on. Like Mackenzie. I haven't seen her in so long, but word probably got out about us and here she is, trying to wreck this. I just need you to know that I will stay faithful to you regardless of who used to be in my life and the people I meet in the future. You're kind of it for me Claire and I know its _really_ early in this relationship to say that, but its true." When I was done blabbering, Claire looked at me in shock.

"What are you saying? Are we over or do you want this to continue?" She was confused and she had a right to be. I just loved to ramble when I am nervous. I ran a hand through my hair and tried again.

"I want this, truly, but we have to communicate. I cant live with the constant fear of you running out of my life when you're not happy about something. Especially if that something is not true by any means." Her expression was unreadable and I knew I was holding my breath, but I couldn't help it. Claire has made me so unmeasurable happy and if Mackenzie was going to ruin this just as quickly as it started, than I don't know how I'll come back from this.

"I'm sorry I exploded on you. I just have never felt like this before. I wish we could just go to bed and not worry about our problems, but I know we can't. I'm _very_ insecure about this whole thing. I just…" she exhaled, "I caught my last boyfriend in bed with my best friend and ever since then, I haven't been able to think straight when it comes to cheating. I act a certain way and I want certain things and I'm very particular, but I am a human being and no one seems to understand that." Claire got up and cleared the table off, waiting for my response as she started to clean the dishes. I grabbed a drying rag and helped her finish the job as I continued.

"You need to know that you have no reason to be insecure. I'm in this relationship because I think you're the most amazing person I've ever met. You are different than everyone else I know and that's the best. You don't worry about what other people think and you don't try to impress everyone. You are Claire _freaking_ Dearing and you captivate me." She dropped the last bowl in the sink and turned to look at me, hand on her hip and her hands still slightly wet from dishwashing.

Her arms found their place around my neck and brought our faces together for the kiss of all kisses. Seriously, the more brutally honest we are with each other, the hotter everything we do seems. I lifted her up to sit on the countertop as I stepped in between her legs and lifted her shift slightly so my hands could rest on the warm skin of her hips. The intimacy that goes with my hands resting there and occasionally squeezing the skin was enough to make me go wild. Something in me had a feeling that we were both in this for the long run, but I didn't want to jinx anything.

Finally, we broke away and just looked at each other for a minute until Claire jumped off the counter and walked into my bedroom. She had her overnight bag in her hand and was on her way to get ready for bed. I walked in right behind her and took my shirt off, tossing it on the side of the bed I didn't usually sleep on, just in case she wanted to wear it. As she stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth, I took my pants off so I was only in my boxers and pulled the covers back, making my self comfortable. I turned the television on and patiently waited for Claire in the bathroom, deciding on watching a house hunters episode to pass the time. Not too long later, Claire walked back into the room and smiled happily at the shirt on her side of the bed. She stripped out of the tight fitting undershirt she was wearing and slide into tee shirt which she was swimming in. I noticed she wasn't wearing a bra, but didn't draw any attention to it as she slide her small shorts off and slid into bed next to me, curling up into my side and making herself comfortable.

The familiarity of the whole situation was comforting beyond compare. I have never been so content in my whole life and I was just simply laying with this woman. She brought out a side of me I hadn't recognized since my mother was still alive, but it was nice. As she slowly drifted off to sleep, I peppered kisses on the top of her head to her cheek and gave her a little squeeze as I turned the television off and started to drift off to sleep as well. Right when I was almost fully asleep, my phone started going off, shaking us both from our content state. She reached over and grabbed my phone, passing it to me and laying on her side, watching me as I answered the loud phone.

"What do you want?" I asked in a much more angry tone than I would have liked.

"Owen! You need to get down her immediately! Something is wrong with Delta!" Barry shrieked into my ear, shocking me and making me sit up. Panic filled my face as I turned to look at Claire who was radiating confusion.

"I've got to go!" I said, swinging my legs over the side of my bed and getting dressed, storming through my house and telling vaguely explaining to Claire that there was an emergency and she could just stay where she was and that I would be back. She didn't bother getting up and told me to text her if I needed anything and to drive safely, but I barely had time to respond let alone process it all. I slammed the door and jumped down all of the porch steps at once, hopping into my truck and trying to calm myself down. _Delta had to be okay._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! I've never written from Claire's point of view, but it intrigued me. ENjoy! And don't forget to review!**

Claire's POV

Of course I was nervous. I was nervous for many reasons: Owen driving like a maniac to get to the paddock in this torrential downpour, Delta's emergency that Owen tried to briefly explain to me in his rush out of here, and how even though all of this madness was going on, I felt completely content, more content than I've ever felt, just laying in Owen's bed and waiting for him to come home with news for me. I could go on and on about how nervous I was being so exposed to this man, but he hasn't given me a reason to not trust him yet. We aren't even officially dating yet, but Owen has been the main source of my happiness these past couple of days. I am well aware that this is moving at an incredibly fast pace, but it all feels so right. Everything this man does, with me and to me, is filled with such passion and effort that sometimes I just can't wrap my head around the fact that he is mine. Sure, I just exploded on him because one of his ex's was trying to ruin us and of course I should have spoken to him first, but mistakes are made by everyone.

I looked over at the clock when Owen stormed out and it was only 3:23 in the morning. I figured I could go back to sleep for a few hours and then when I woke up, he would be home and in bed next to me, telling me not to worry about the dinosaurs right now. Sadly, when I woke up again at 6 after a restless couple of hours of sleep, I still hadn't heard a single thing from Owen and I was actually starting to get even more nervous.

I grabbed my cell phone off of the end table next to me and turned the screen on, finding a missed call from Zara. I listened to her voice mail and smiled when I heard her say that the park was closed for the day because the weather is so bad that the ferries would not be able to make it to the island safely after the monstrous amount of rain we got last night. All of the guests that were in the hotels on the island were permitted to all of the shops and restaurants and such, but no dinosaur exhibits because they needed to be cleaned up and searched. This meant I had my first unscheduled day off since I got this job. I called Zara back and thanked her for telling me and laid back down in bed, calling Owen once. When he didn't answer I simply sent him a text asking him how everything was going and got up to brush my teeth.

Owen's bathroom is a lot nicer than I thought it would be, his whole entire bungalow was nicer than I thought it would be. He had a double vanity sink and a nice, glass shower that was small, but had just enough room for two people to fit comfortably in. He had a linen closet in his bathroom as well that had a total of four towels in it which made me laugh. The tile on the floor was very slippery when it got wet which was very inconvenient, but it was cozy and fit perfectly in the bungalow that didn't deserve a second glance from anyone. On the outside, the bungalow looked decrepit and very rustic, but when you are slowly falling in love with the man who lives in it, it transforms into a safe haven. _Love? Oh boy, am i in trouble or what?_

When I exited the bathroom, I made my way into Owen's kitchen. The layout was nothing like my own and it took me nearly five minutes to locate a bowl and spoon for cereal. I poured myself some Cheerios and grabbed a banana off of the counter before walking into the living room and sitting down on the recliner I found Owen sleeping on when I was late to our first date. I smiled fondly at the memories and sat with my legs tucked under me as I grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels, deciding on some game show I wouldn't have to fully pay attention to.

I realized I couldn't just sit around and wait for Owen to come back, so I started by cleaning _everything._ His house wasn't dirty by any means, but it lacked a feminine touch. The windows were riddled with fingerprints and the door frames were coated in a fine layer of dust. I didn't even want to think about the last time Owen mopped these floors, but my internal questioning was halted when I couldn't even find a mop in the bungalow. When the inside was up to my standards, I braved the rain and walked out on the covered front porch to bring the butchering knife and filet board inside to clean for him as well.

The smell of rain was one of my favorites, so when I made my way back inside, I kept the man door open so there was just a screen separating me and the tropical storm that was in full effect. The breeze and the smell drifting around Owen's home filled me with comfort and eased a little bit of my stress. I was keeping myself busy, trying my hardest to not worry about where Owen was and if he is okay. I didn't like being kept in the dark and the never ending rain didn't make this any easier. As calming as it is, rain can be very dangerous on this island.

I picked up my phone again and realized it was nearing ten o'clock in the afternoon. I unlocked it and scrolled through my contacts, locating Owen's name and calling him again. I was immediately sent to voicemail and huffed, putting my phone on the counter in an aggravated manner. My mood did a complete turn around when I heard his truck's tires shifting the gravel in his driveway. I ran to the front door, my nose scrunched up against the screen as I watched Owen hop out of his truck and hustle inside with his head down, to avoid the rain. I opened the screen door for him and it closed behind him with a loud _smack_ , making me jump.

"You didn't call," I stated simply, my hand hovering on his drenched army green hoodie as I finally made eye contact with him. He looked so incredibly tired, his eyes didn't sparkle like they usually did and the darkening bags under his eyes made me want to cry. I placed my hand on his cheek and caressed his face, letting him know silently that I was here for him. I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest when I felt his face gravitate toward my hand, nuzzling into my gentle embrace. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bedroom, instructing him to lay and nap.

It felt like days had passed before I heard anything from Owen's bedroom. I found myself in his kitchen making some canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, figuring that when he woke he would be hungry. The soft sound of his bedsheets moving drew my attention, waiting for him to come out of his room and join me. When he didn't, I made my way in and noticed he was still asleep, but he seemed upset. His chest was heaving and his fist was tightly woven in between the sheets, holding onto them for dear life. I made my way over to him when I heard him start to mumble in a panicked tone. I straddled his lap and grabbed his hands, bringing one to rest over my heart while I called his name out and gently shook his shoulder with my other hand. It took a minute or two, but Owen finally woke up, gasping aloud and opening his eyes wildly, fear etched across all of his features. His eyes were searching mine before he pulled me down onto his chest and held me close.

"Be mine." He demanded in a rough voice. I thought I heard him wrong, so I just pulled him closer and kissed his neck. "Is that a yes?" He asked, pulling me back a little to look in my eyes. Owen lips twitched upward slightly, almost forming a smile, when he saw the confusion on my face. "What?" I asked, knowing exactly what he said, but I couldn't believe it. He cleared his throat and sat up, letting me sit criss cross in front of him. Our fingers were intertwined and his thumb was tracing imaginary circles on the back of my hand.

"Claire Dearing," he started again, his use of my full name made my cheeks heat up for some unknown reason, "Will you be my girlfriend? I don't want anyone else to have you." His honesty shocked me and he looked more nervous than I had ever seen him, but also so incredibly vulnerable, resembling a younger version of himself. There was no way I could form a sentence that would remotely make sense and when I opened my mouth, I made a noise that sounded as if I was going to break down and cry. I nodded my head vigorously and tried again. "I'm not going anywhere." Our foreheads touched and for the first time all day, a genuine smile was painted across Owen's whole entire face. His eyes slowly regained their shimmer that made them so captivating, as if he had been brought back to life. "It took you long enough," I mumbled, making his head fall back and chuckle from deep within him, moving his shoulders as he did. "I was scared you were gonna say no" he admitted, this time we both started to laugh while Owen's hand snaked down to my waist and pulled me onto his lap. He was trying to distract me and I knew it. I carefully pushed back on his chest to give us space, looking into his eyes, searching for answers.

"Can you please just tell me what happened today?" I didn't want to pry, but he was clearly distraught when he left this morning and his mood hadn't changed much since then. He released a heavy breath and leaned back on his hands, letting me crawl into his lap and nestle myself into his side. He told me how Delta had gotten crushed by a piece of metal that had fallen from the catwalk. They had to call some professional who couldn't make it to the island due to the inclement weather. Owen started to tear up when he told me how she had broken her back leg and how the vet on hand had to perform an emergency surgery and now she's fine and she is healing, but she is just not acting like herself. He was scared. I could see it in his eyes and it warmed my heart to know that he loved these animals so much. They were his babies and I know he blamed himself for this somehow.

"Owen, there is nothing you could have done to stop this." I told him, grabbing both sides of his face and pulling him in for a passionate kiss. I needed to take his mind off of this. I regained my composure and sat on his lap again, bringing my hands down to rid him of his sweaty hoodie that was still damp from the rain. The cotton felt so much heavier in my hands and landed heavily on his hardwood floor. I felt his fingers digging into my sides, tracing up and down my hip bones, slowing his lips down on mine so he could create a pattern. Just when I felt his fingers playing with the bottom of my tank top, I heard a loud gurgle coming from his stomach. I smiled and sat back a little bit on his lap, chuckling at the noise. "Someone's hungry. Let's eat." I said as I pulled him up and walked into his kitchen where I finished making us lunch.

It was nearing 4 o'clock, much too late for lunch, but today had been odd enough that we didn't mind much. We sat on the couch and ate in a comfortable silence, our feet tangled together as they rested on the coffee table in front of us, completely content with the little bubble we were living in.

"Did you clean my whole house?" I heard Owen ask quietly, getting up and gliding a finger across the window sill and examining his finger. I giggled to myself quietly and got up to collect the plates and bowls we had just eaten from. I placed them in the sink and turned the warm water on, scrubbing them clean. I heard Owen walking in behind me and figured he was coming to dry the dishes, but was mistaken. His strong, muscular arms flexed around my waist and pulled me up against his body. I squeaked, startled by his actions, but played along and pushed back against him.

"You look so domesticated." He whispered into my ear, nibbling on my ear lobe. His hot and heavy breath on my neck caused my hair to stand and a chill to rush over my whole body. I would have gotten angry at him for his comment. I didn't like falling into a stereotype, but he felt so good with his body pressed up against mine that I couldn't get myself to ruin this moment. "Well…" I started, ready to tease him back, "My _boyfriend_ did leave rather early this morning and I was all alone in his bed. I didn't like waking up without your arms around me." I had him under my spell. His jaw clenched at my use of the boyfriend title and he spun me around in his arms, his eyes drilling into my soul. "Oh yeah?" he teased back, his eyebrow arching and his signature cocky grin plastered on his face.

The next thing I knew, I was being hauled over Owen's shoulder, getting a rather nice view of his muscular back and toned butt. I laugh out loud and try to remember this moment. When I am truly happy. I want to feel like this forever. He gives my ass a solid spank, just enough pressure to turn me on and send every fiber of my being into a frenzy. I yelp when he does and reach my hand down to do the same, definitely not spanking as hard as he did, but getting my point across. Owen carried me into the bedroom, placing me down gently before pulling my tank top off quickly, eyes nearly rolling out of his head when he sees my bare chest. He clutches his heart and falls back onto the bed, faking a palpitation and shooting me _that_ smile again. I can't help but roll my eyes at him and laugh.

I stride over to him and confidently pull his tee shirt off as well, throwing it to join the pile of clothes we are building up. He lifts his butt for me so I can remove him of his pajama pants and his boxers, so he is completely exposed to me. Owen doesn't seem phased in the slightest that I am checking him out, smirking when my eyes met his again. I close the distance between us so I am standing between Owen's legs, who quickly and easily sheds me of the last article of clothing between the two of us. I feel his hands inching their way up from my thighs to my butt. He pushes it into him and lets me straddle his lap, making me stumble and we fall onto the bed, laughing the whole way down.

"I have to tell you something." I say in between kisses. This gets Owen's full attention and he stops kissing long enough for me to admit my case. "I've never… uhm… ridden someone before." I spilled, looking between us at his member standing tall and ready and definitely overthinking the situation that was about to go down.

Owen released a groan that I have never heard from him before and every part of me wanted, no _needed_ , this man in front of me. His head slugged back a little and he grabbed my thighs securely before shifting us up the bed so his back was on the headboard and I was still sat on his lap. He must have sensed the panic emitting from me, or maybe the look on my face gave it away, but he stopped for a minute and tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear and laid a gentle kiss on my lips making me smile and heat up. "You have no reason to be nervous," he started, "It's just you and me. No one else. Boyfriend and Girlfriend." The smile on his face was contagious and that's all it took for something inside of me to snap. I wasn't the most confident when it came to trying new things in bed, but the love and support he was showing me was turning me on much more than I could have imagined.

We resumed our kissing and as our tongues battled for dominance, my hand maneuvered it's way between us and gave him a few preparatory pumps before running his tip up and down my wet center. We moved in unison and Owen halted our kissing so he could focus on helping me get comfortable in this new position. His one hand was in my hair, keeping our eyes locked, while the other one was on my hip, giving me reassuring squeezes. I finally, slowly, sank down on him letting myself get comfortable with each and every inch that divulged inside of me. This new position was _amazing_ and I couldn't believe I had never tried it before! The new angle was hitting me in all of the right spots and everything felt so much more intimate this way! I could feel every single inch of Owen inside of me and I've never felt such intimacy before. I could tell Owen was enjoying himself by the look in his eyes and the way his grip on my hip tightened. He was being so patient with me and I was so grateful for that.

Once I was all the way down, basically sitting on his lap, I gave Owen a quick nod that anyone else would have missed, but due to our proximity, he was able to pick up on my subtle cues. He kissed my lips once more before bringing his other hand to my waist and helping me raise my body up and sink all the way back down on him. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my body slumped forward closer to him. We created a pattern and stuck with it, the noises coming out of me were none I had ever made before. He was going so _deep_ that he was discovering places I had never ever imagined could be touched. My head dropped and noticed a light dusting of freckles scattered across his broad, manly shoulders, which drew me in closer. How had I never noticed these before? I laid gentle, intimate kisses on each and every freckle I could find, anticipating my future discoveries. He released a familiar moan and I turned my head to look at the side of his face. He was close and I could tell which made me feel so empowered. His hips began to buck up and meet mine in a desperate attempt to control the situation, which I would not let him do. My thrusts were becoming sloppy, but neither of us were complaining and he brought a hand up to cup my breast which fit so well in his thick, calloused fingers.

"I don't know how much longer I can last…" he panted in my ear, trying to push me to a finish. I whined, frustrated at how close I was to falling over the edge, but not being there yet. I felt him tweak my nipple and increase the pace of his own thrusts, meeting my hips each and every time. I started to pant and my vision was blurring, so I closed my eyes tight and waited for the crash. Everything went white and the built up pressure in my lower stomach was gone in the most delicious way. I collapsed on Owen's sweaty body as he peppered kisses on my neck, flipping us over to finish himself off. His moan was animalistic and his member twitched in the most satisfying ways inside of me. I don't know how, but my second orgasm was rising quickly and my breathing was ragged again. After a few more thrusts and with a little bit of help from his spare hand on my clit, we came together. The feeling of him unloading inside of me was indescribable, but addictive and we laid in a tangled, sweaty ball for a few minutes as our breathing returned to normal.

"I hate to ruin this moment, but can we crack a window a little?" I asked timidly, trying my best to not be weird about the rain. I felt Owen shift in bed and look at me. "Crack a window? Claire it's down pouring." He chuckled, having no problem finding my eyes in the dark. "I love the rain." I say simply and shrug. I see his bright white smile shine through the bedroom, but he gets up nonetheless and makes his way over to the window. I watch his bare body move through the shadows, biting my lip when he turns back around and makes his way back to bed. "Are you checking me out, Ms Dearing?" He teases me, already knowing the answer. "You better be careful with that lip of yours. Might make me want a round 2." Owen lifted the comforter from my body and moves to lay on top of me, letting the blanket conform to his back from his newfound home above me. I giggle and move my arms and legs to wrap around him and pull him in closer. "Is round 2 a bad idea?" I tease back, effectively ending the conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again everyone! I enjoyed writing in Claire's POV last chapter so I kept with it for this one as well. We'll get Owen's back soon enough though, no worries! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well! Thank you for the support and don't forget to review!**

Claire's POV

When I wake up the next morning, I notice Owen is still asleep next me. Well, technically under me? I turn my head slightly to remove the stream of light shining through the window from my eyes. It is still raining out, pretty heavily from the sound of it, and the scent fills my senses with a wave of comfort as well. I take this opportunity to take in Owen's facial features before he wakes up. He looks so content, his face relaxed and the wrinkles by the side of his eyes weren't crinkled from his smiling. The scruff on his face looked delicious and it takes everything in me not to touch him right now.

I shifted off of Owen completely, trying my best to not wake him up and grabbed my phone from the bedside table closest to me. It was only 5 in the morning, but I was fully rested and ready to start my day. The unassigned day off yesterday was much needed and greatly appreciated, but I was more than ready to get back to work. I scrolled through my emails and responded to the ones I could without Zara or my day planner nearby and was about to get up to take a shower when I felt Owen start to stir. Before I could put my phone down, I was being pulled into Owen's embrace, my back against his front comfortably.

"How are you up so early?" He mumbled into my ear, nuzzling into my neck. Cuddly morning Owen was someone I could get used to. I released a content sigh and threw my phone away before turning around and wrapping our legs together and snuggling into his chest. I was flush against him, bringing my hands up to rest on his chest so I had enough space to lean up and trail kisses from his neck to his chin. "I like waking up to you here" he continued, shifting to plant a couple of purposely sloppy kisses on my face. I laughed loudly and wiped the slobber off of my cheek. I create some distance between us and just take him in. A permanent smirk is etched on his face and the once relaxed eye wrinkled were crinkled like I liked them. He was devastatingly good looking and even though I'm pretty positive he knew, there was something about him that was different than most "pretty guys". He was rugged and handsome, but also silly and caring. I don't know how I had overlooked him before, but I have never been so happy that I gave someone a second chance.

"I need to get ready for work." I stated simply, making no move to get up or ever leave his embrace. My left leg was intertwined between his while my right foot was lightly tracing up and down his calf. Just as I finished my sentence, my phone started to ring making me inwardly groan and Owen's arms loosened on my waist. I twisted my body and grabbed my discarded phone off of the bed behind me. It was Zara.

"Zara." I answer abruptly, using my professional voice.

"Claire! Good morning. There are flood warning in effect so the park will be closed today as well. All of your meetings have been pushed back, but you have a Skype call with Verizon Wireless about the newest asset at 1 this afternoon. Would you like me to reschedule it?" The information came all at once and Owen was trying his very best to distract me by tracing imaginary shaped on my stomach and planting kisses on my exposed neck as I laid naked on my back in his bed. I turned and glared at him, giving him a warning glance that I knew he was going to ignore.

"Uhmmm…" I started to respond when Owen's hand was running dangerously low down my stomach. I brushed his hand away and smacked him on the shoulder before clearing my throat and responding to Zara. "I can take the meeting at 1, no need to reschedule everything. It'll give me something to do today." I laughed before continuing, "Is there any information about the assets that I need to be aware of? Are the enclosures all intact?" Owen scoffed at the word "asset" and mumbled "they are animals" into my ear before tugging on my earlobe and eliciting a hum from me. Owen then shifted closer and starting peppering kisses up my neck, nipping occasionally, obviously trying to get a reaction from me. Zara was telling me all about the protocol that was being followed at each and every enclosure to ensure maximum security remained intact. Halfway through the rundown I realized I wasn't paying attention at all and accidentally released a moan causing my whole body to freeze, praying Zara didn't noticed.

"Are you alright Claire?" Zara asked, "Do you need me to bring anything to your apartment?" Owen started to snicker quietly and rolled on top of me, arms on both side of my head, eyes drilling into my own. I smiled up at him and shook my head "no" raising an eyebrow as if to say, "don't test me". Owen smiled back at me, all of his teeth showing and leaning in to kiss my neck.

"I'm fine Zara, just a bit tired." I easily lied, trying my hardest to keep my noises at bay. She finished debriefing me and was about to hang up when she added, "Enjoy your day off Claire, tell Owen I say hi." Before I could process what she was implying, I responded, "I will!" Before gasping and hearing Zara cackling on the other end of the phone.

I groaned and let my phone drop to the bed once I locked it, knowing I could trust Zara, but still being nervous. I'm easily distracted by Owen who's lips are slowly making their way down my neck to tease my chest. My fingers lace themselves into his hair and I guide him to where I want him.

"Stressful phone call?" Owen mumbled before taking one of my nipples into his mouth. My head hits back onto the pillow and I whimper before nodding, knowing he wasn't really going to see it. As he was making his way to my other breast, I quickly snuck in, "I may have just told Zara we were together." This stopped him dead in his tracks and he looked up at me. _What a glorious sight._ Owen Grady, very naked, parts of his hair plastered to his head while others are sticking up in various directions, body laying between my legs and _that smile_. I knew he would love to tell people, but I didn't think he would be this happy about it.

Owen's eyes darkened as he crawled his way back up my body. Our lips met passionately and my hands found their way back into his hair again while my legs wrapped around his waist, pulling his body down to mine. I gasped when I felt how hard he was against me. My hand made its way between us and grabbed a hold of this member, teasing it slowly, which made Owen pull away from our kiss and rest his forehead against mine. I was more than ready for him and when he sunk into me I'm almost positive my eyes rolled back into my head. It always surprises me how well we fit together. His hands are on either side of my head again and I can see his muscles flexing from my peripheral vision. I tilt my head to the side and leave a couple of endearing kisses on his bicep, moving my hands from his hair to his back, feeling each muscle contract as he relentlessly thrusts into me, eyes filled with passion as always. One of his arms moves to my leg, detaching them from his waist and hoisting one up higher on his hip, taking me deeper than ever before. I moaned out his name and arched my back as my head hit the pillow again.

"That's my girl" he mumbled encouragingly as he picked up his pace. He faltered on a thrust and his rhythm slowly became sloppy. I brought one hand down to tease my own breast while my other one began to dig into the skin of his back. Owen was panting heavily onto my neck, eyes open wide as he watched my face intently. "I'm almost there Owen, give me more." I demanded, our eyes never leaving the others. He groaned at my request and picked up his pace again. I knew he could explode at any moment and I was so close I could have cried. Then I felt him hit that spot inside me and I bit down hard on my lip, definitely drawing blood, feeling my legs begin to shake. "Come with me baby." I panted at him, pulling his head down to my own as my walls clamped down around him and released. With one final pump into me, I felt Owen fill me up, exhaling the word "fuck" into my mouth as he collapsed on top of me with a grunt.

"I don't think you realize how much you calling me "baby" turns me on. Or that you told Zara about us. Holy shit." He informed me, kissing my bloody lip and chuckling to himself. The vibrations from his laugh shook me to the core and I moaned again, feeling his soft member twitch inside of me.

"I don't think you realize how much you turn me on period." I told him, not letting him remove himself from me when he went to get up. "Just give me a minute." I told him, earning a wide smile from Owen who flipped up over so he was underneath and I was sitting on his lap, straddling him. I moaned and put my hands on his chest to stabilize myself.

"Don't want to crush you," he stated honestly before continuing, "Get off when you want to." He told me with a smirk, the double meaning not lost to me. He put both of his arms behind his head and enjoyed the view. I brought myself down to rest on his chest, still exhausted from our previous actions when his phone rang. We groaned simultaneously and he reaches over to answer his phone.

"How is she?" His face was unreadable as, who I guessed was Barry, debriefed him. He smiled at me to show me that everything was okay and I released a breath I had no clue I was holding in. When he hung up with Barry, I pushed myself off of him, removing his member from within me, making both of us sigh. I planted a chaste kiss on his lips and made my way into the bathroom to clean up.

When I started the shower, I heard Owen get off the bed and make his way into the bathroom behind me, brushing his teeth before speaking again. "I'm gonna go check on Delta and the girls today. I know you have your meeting, but I could like drop you off at your place? I don't want you to drive in this weather." He told me as I stepped into the shower. The heat of the water woke me up and made me feel brand new. "I am a great driver Owen." I started, "and besides, we have separate vehicles." I finished. I felt him enter the shower behind me and begin to scrub my back.

"I don't doubt you're a great driver, but I just want to know that you're safe. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." He admitted, pulling me into him and just letting the water cascade over us. There was nothing sexual about this moment. I was filled with so many emotions I didn't know what to do and I knew I felt tears threatening to spill. I was so in love with this man and I'd only been with him for a couple of days. Never in my life had I felt like this and I never thought I'd be so free with my body as I am with Owen.

"Can we hang out at my place after?" I didn't much mind that we are spending time at his bungalow by any means. I loved my apartment, but it was so generic that it was almost annoying. After spending so much time in Sunrio, I didn't seem to mind the clutter and absence of space as much. It was endearing in a way. I felt Owen nod his head before he said yes and I smiled before turning us around so we could finish our shower and get the day going.

We make it to his truck in record time and are on our way to the raptor paddock. Owen's fingers wove in between mine when we started driving and I didn't mind the country music as much as I thought I would, _it was so Owen_. I found myself smiling for no reason as I watched the rain pelt down on the windshield and I tried to remember the last time I was this happy. We were sat in a comfortable silence. I knew Owen was nervous to see Delta again, so I let him swim in his thoughts, whatever I say wouldn't ease him as much as actually seeing her.

When we got to the paddock, I didn't see any other cars. I looked at Owen for reassurance, which he gave me in one simple nod and smirk, before we both opened our doors and ran for cover in the raptor containment area. Once inside, my heart race started to pick up. I'd only ever seen the raptors from a distance, but now I know I'm going to see them up close and personal. The look on Owen's face showed me how important this was to him so I mentally hiked up my big girl pants and prepared myself.

"There's no reason to be nervous." Owen started, taking my hand and directing me to where we needed to go. The large covered enclosure they were in was magnificent and I could tell by the way they were behaving that they enjoyed their lives here. "Delta is in a separate pen so she can heal, so the other girls are a bit freaked out that she's gone." He walked over the the edge of the catwalk and made a whistle noise that immediately grabbed their attention. Owen turned back around and nodded his head for me to come closer. "I promise I won't let them hurt you." I stood by the ledge, barely looking over, but in awe at what I was seeing. My jaw dropped when I saw them in their "ready" position, most likely waiting for a reward. Owen ran to get a bucket of rats and came back over and toss each of them a treat for obeying his command.

"Alright Claire Dearing, I'd like to introduce you to my girls. That one there is Echo. That's Charlie and this one is Blue." He told me, pointing at each individual dinosaur. I smiled at him and looked at the bucket of rats before picking one up and tossing it over the railing at each of them, with help from Owen of course. After the introductions, I stepped back and let him do his training before he fed them some more and we left to check on Delta.

When we got to her enclosure, she looked amazing. She was standing and walking around, not seeming to be bothered by the leg surgery she received the day before. The smile that was plastered on Owen's face was intoxicating and contagious. He did separate training with her before he fed her and we left for my apartment.

Owen's hand rested tenderly on my upper thigh the whole drive to my place and he was in a much better mood. Before, I could tell that he was nervous, but now he was singing along to the radio and his eyes were shining even brighter than before. His pickup truck did not exactly blend in at my apartment complex, but I didn't really care at this point. He parked and we ran for the doors, entering and shaking off before heading to the elevator and taking it up to my floor.

When I unlocked the door, I stopped and turned around, smiling up at him before opening the door fully. "Now, I know it's not exactly homey like Sunrio is, but it's what Masrani gave me. It's very…white?" I said, making Owen laugh and lean in to kiss me, pushing the door open after and walking right in. He stopped at the entrance and I took his hand, wondering what was going through his mind. I didn't do much decorating since I got here and after a while I didn't care enough. It's not like anyone other than Zara comes to my apartment, so what's the point?

"Wow. This place is huge." Owen turned and looked at me, making his way into the kitchen, running his finger over the granite countertop, inspecting it after as if he were looking for dirt. I chuckled at him and watched as he gave himself the tour, casually walking into the connected living room. I had a glass coffee table in the middle of two white couches and a smart tv mounted on the wall. He kicked his shoes off and walked across the fluffy white carpet, looking at the only picture I had framed in my whole apartment. "Who are they?" He asked aloud, picking up the picture and smiling at it.

"Hum… those are my nephews, Zach and Grey, sandwiched between me and my sister, Karen." I told him, walking over and looking at it with him. "You look younger here." He stated simply, running his thumb over my face in the picture. I huffed, "Do I look old now?" I chuckled and continued, "That was a few years ago. Maybe 5? I can't really remember. After my big fight with my mother, I sort of distanced myself from my family and married my career." I confessed, making him put the picture down and turn toward me. "Married, huh?" He teased, grabbing me by my waist and dancing with me. There was no music playing, but that hasn't stopped us before. "You could probably have them come to the island you know? I bet those boys would love to see all of the animals and I could even give them some behind the scenes tours and stuff. I'd like to meet your sister too. See if shes as insane as you are." He teased. I looked up at Owen, shocked that he wanted to meet them. I smiled and grabbed his hand, ending our dance and giving him a tour of the rest of the apartment.

After, we made our way into the kitchen and I poured us both a glass of wine and set up my computer for my Skype call with Verizon. I scurried on into my room and quickly changed into a professional looking top and brushed out my hair, applying light make up and making me seem like a business woman again. When I came back out, I heard Owen laugh and then whistle at me, making my cheeks tint a deep shade of pink. "Leave it up to my girlfriend to look hot in sweats and a dress shirt." Owen teased again, taking a sip of his wine and lightly smacking my butt before I sat down, making me squeal.

I kicked him out of the room when I had my meeting and luckily everything went smooth. The call was very quick for a meeting of this caliber and after only about 20 minutes I was done with my work for the day. I waltzed into the living room where I found Owen watching tv, knowing that he wasn't actually paying attention to it at all. I made my way over to him and sat down next to him, situating myself so I was tucked into his side. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in, handing me the remote.

"I hate tv." I told him simply, handing it back to him. "I have a lot of movies though." I continued excitedly. I get up and walk over to the built in shelves on the walls on either side of the television and I open the bottom cabinet. I heard Owen get up and join me and he made his presence known from behind me by sitting on the floor to join me in picking one out. We decided on Sweet Home Alabama and sat back down to enjoy it. He admitted that it was one of his favorites and it made my heart happy becuase coincidentally, it was mine.

Once it ended, we decided on pizza for dinner and he offered to go and pick it up because no one was delivering because of the storm, but I wanted to go with him. "I like driving in your truck." I told him as I took his hand and led him out the door. On the ride to the pizzeria, Owen was serenading me with every song that came on the radio and it made my heart basically liquefy. His voice wasn't bad by any means and the words he was singing weren't his own, but I could tell that he meant them. One hand was on the wheel and the other one was back in its spot on my upper thigh, making me even happier. I could get used to having him drive me around in this truck.

I put the pizza box on the floor so it wouldn't burn my lap and had my feet tucked under me on the drive back to my apartment. The singing didn't seize the entire ride and my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much. After a particularly enthusiastic performance from Owen, we were stopped at a red light and my head was back against the seat and my laughing was filling the car. Before I knew what I was saying I turned to him and said, "I love you," in between intakes of breath. The car suddenly got silent and the radio seemed almost too loud. His face dropped and he turned to look me in the eyes. "Are you for real?" He asked me, grabbing my face between his two hands. The light changed to green, but no one else was on the road so Owen didn't bother to move. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just nodded my head and licked my lips.

His lips were on mine before I could compute what was happening. I unbuckled my seatbelt and straddled his lap. He broke away for a moment and put the truck in park. I smiled at the boy-ish smile that was consuming his face. It was a smile that involved his whole face. The little wrinkles by his eyes wrinkled even more and his cheeks looked huge. I'm surprised his face didn't split in half. He kissed me ferociously again and I started to pant before we heard a honk come from behind us. I quickly shuffled back over the middle console and plopped down, letting Owen continue to drive, both of us laughing off the situation.

I dropped the pizza box on the island in my kitchen and Owen's lips were immediately on my neck, hugging me from behind. I swayed with him for a minute or two, content in his embrace, before I heard my stomach gurgle, mortifying me.

"Hungry?" He asked me, moving a bar stool out for me and letting me sit while we ate pizza from the box without plates. If you had told me just last week that I would be eating dinner from a pizza box _without plates_ , I would have scoffed at you, but here I am, completely in love with the man in front of me and in fact eating pizza plate-less.

Owen easily ate most of the pizza and when I looked at the clock, I was shocked to see that it was nearing 8 o'clock at night. The day had flown by. I grabbed Owen's hand and led him, to my bedroom, the only room I hadn't shown him before. I had a king sized bed in between two end tables with designer lamps on each, another smart television on the wall opposite of my bed, with a master bathroom bigger than Owen's kitchen and a walk in closet.

"You're telling me, we've been cooped up in my dingy bungalow this whole week, sleeping in my double sized bed while you have _this_ just a short car ride away." Owen turned and looked at me, smiling. "I quite like your bungalow, Mr. Grady," I teased before chuckling and slapping his chest and going to get ready for bed.

When I exited the bathroom, Owen was already in my bed, under the covers with the remote in his hand. I shimmied out of my night shorts and peeled my shirt off at the sight of him. I liked when we slept skin on skin and I wasn't ashamed of it. Owen's eyes nearly fell out of his head as I shuffled into bed next to him, naked as the day I was born. I winked at him and grabbed the remote from him, turning the tv off and turning to put the remote on the end table. When I turned back around, I saw him throw his shorts and tee shirt onto the ground with a lighthearted chuckle before pulling me in.

The lights were already off and the only noise was coming from the ceiling fan. The rain had stopped and I knew we would definitely have work int he morning, causing me to sigh and nuzzle deeper into Owen's embrace.

"Goodnight Owen." I whispered into his neck, running my just-lotioned legs over his.

"Goodnight Claire." He whispered back, releasing a breath he must have been holding in for a while, "I love you too by the way." My heart burst through my chest and I moaned, ready to have my way with the only man who's ever shared my own bed with me.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again! I hope you like this chapter! REVIEW**

 **Owen's POV**

Claire's bed was the most comfortable thing I've ever slept on hands down. When I woke up, Claire wasn't in my arms anymore, but the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon lured me into the kitchen where I found her clad in nothing but the tee shirt I had thrown somewhere before we went to bed last night. The sight of Claire in just my shirt did things to me in ways I couldn't explain.

"Good morning!" I announced, making my presence known as I casually walked over to Claire and plopped myself down on a barstool in front of her. She placed a cup of coffee in front of me and I happily sipped on it as I watched her finish making breakfast.

"Sleep alright?" She asked me sheepishly, barely looking up at me as she turned to get plates and silverware out for us to eat on. "Like a baby! That bed is seriously the most comfortable bed ever." I told her, making her chuckle to herself as she placed a plate loaded with eggs and bacon and toast in front of me. I raised my eyebrows at the amount of food before smiling and digging in. "I figure we need to eat something more than frozen ice cream cake for breakfast." She teased, taking the seat next to me and eating the same amount of food as I was. I was impressed to say the least.

"Why don't you decorate more here?" I asked her as I scooped a forkful of eggs into my mouth, turning slightly so her leg could rest between mine. I am starting to realize that I am not the only one in this relationship that doesn't like being too far from the other. When we are close enough to touch one another, why not let my hands find a new favorite spot? The silky smooth skin of her bare hips will forever be my favorite.

Claire took a gulp of what looked like tea from her mug and looked as if she was thinking of how to respond. I reached for a piece of bacon from Claire's plate, but she slapped my hand away and laughs at me. "You got your bacon, Mister. This is mine!" She picked up the piece I was after and put it in her mouth. After she swallowed and took another sip of tea she started talking. "I don't really like it here." she started, not looking up at me, "It isn't really my taste. When I got the job here, Masrani put me in the nicest apartment he could find and it's not like I don't appreciate it, but I'm more of a bungalow kinda gal." She finished, finally turning and smiling up at me.

"You're a bungalow gal now?" I teased, tickling her side and making her bend over laughing, filling her apartment with the sound of her beautiful laugh. I kissed her cheek lightly and moved away, letting her continue talking. "I don't need all of this space. It is literally just me here, never anyone else. Zara has been here only a handful of times and that's it. You are my real first houseguest since starting my job here." She concluded, moving to collect my plate, but I beat her to it and moved to the sink where I began to wash the used dishes and pans. "I like that no one else has been here" I told her, "I'd love to spend more time here… if you want." Claire grabbed my hands from the soapy water and moved them onto her hips. Instinctually, I pulled her in closer and let her head rest on my chest. "I would love it if you were here more. Maybe it would start to feel like home." My heart started to beat faster and I could tell that Claire knew. She planted a chaste kiss on my lips and stepped away from my embrace to grab a dish rag to dry the wet dishes I was cleaning. Suddenly Claire's phone rang and she put it on speaker after informing me it was Zara.

"Good morning Zara." Claire said cheerily to her assistant on the other end of the line.

"Hi Claire! Crazy storm huh? A lot to catch up on in the real world now." She stated making Claire sigh.

"I figured," Claire started, "what's first on today's agenda?"

"Well we have a staff wide emergency recap meeting that everyone must attend. The park will reopen tomorrow and we have a lot to do. Maybe your raptor man will wear a tie." Zara teased, making Claire blush profusely and turn to me, silently begging me not to make any noise.

"That will never happen." Claire told Zara before letting her continue.

"We already have a packet of information at the office that you need to look over and study before presenting to the staff." I heard Claire groan before she responded.

"Send me the PDF and I'll review it on my way to the office today. I'm going to make this meeting for department heads and essential staff only and they will have to relay the information. I don't think we need _everyone_ in my office building today."

"Okay perfect! I'll send out a mass email to everyone necessary. Meeting is at 9:30" I could tell they were finishing up and I washing the last dish before handing it off the Claire and wiping my wet hands on my shorts.

"Okay Zara thank you so much!" Claire exclaimed, putting the last dish away and making her way back to her phone.

"Oh and one more thing!" Zara added. Claire made a "hmm" noise to show Zara she was listening. "Don't think we aren't going to discuss that handsome slice of a man that is definitely in your bed right now!" Claire's eyes bulged out of her head and she made a beeline over to her phone. Trying her hardest to take it off of speaker.

I accidentally laughed out loud and Zara gasped over the phone.

"Is he in your kitchen for real? THE Claire Dearing had a man over las-" Claire finally got her off of speaker and held the phone to her ear, scurrying from the room and retreating into her bedroom. I wiped down the countertop before chuckling to myself and heading towards the bedroom. When I walked in, I caught a hushed Claire saying, "I'll give you the details later, but I _have to go_ Zara." Claire ended the call and turned to me.

"Sorry about her." Claire was laughing and so was I.

"I'm just glad I'm the only guy you've brought here." I tell her, making my way over to her slowly.

"Don't flatter yourself." I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her forehead before she took my hand and led me into the bathroom. She had a whole morning routine and I didn't want to get in her way, so I simply brushed my teeth and splashed some water on my face before sitting on the toilet and waiting for her to finish. I looked around and noticed the giant jacuzzi tub on the far end of the bathroom, begging me to lay in it. I got up from my seat on the toilet and laid down in the empty bathtub, making Claire give me a quizzical look.

"Comfy?" she asked, looking at me quickly before continuing to apply her makeup.

"This is so big! We are taking a bath in here. _Together_. I don't care what you say." I laughed to myself and looked over at Claire. She was staring at me with a shocked expression plastered on her face.

"You're such a dog." And with that, she threw a bottle of lotion at me, to shut me up. I caught it easily and hopped out of the tub, putting the lotion back down in front of her and kissing the top of her head, still chuckling to myself quietly. "I'm gonna go get dressed." I told her before locating my overnight bag and changing.

Once Claire _finally_ got ready, we made our way to the parking lot.

"I'll see you at this meeting later."I told her, pulling her in for a brief kiss and hug.

"I'll be the one bossing you around." She told me with a wink.

"When don't you?" I countered, sticking my tongue out at her, making her elicit an earth halting laugh again.

I walked over to my truck and was about to open the door when I heard a car horn beep, making me turn and look. Claire was in her SUV, windows down, sunglasses tilted on the bridge of her nose. "Hey!" She shouted at me, starting her car with the click of a button. I looked over at her while opening my door. "I love you." She shouted, smiling from cheek to cheek. "Quit flirting with me Ms Dearing or I'll have to report you for sexual harassment." She laughed audibly again and slowly drove over to me, flipping me off in the most elegant manner. "I love you too, Claire." I told her matter-o-factly, before hopping up into my truck and following her out of the lot.

The drive to the raptor enclosure was boring without Claire in my passenger seat. As I pulled into my spot, I remembered I didn't have much time before the meeting so I had to be quick with morning training. The girls were more excited than ever to see me and I was excited that we were able to let Delta rejoin her sisters after the meetings today. I had told Barry that he could do it by himself, but he told me he'd wait because he knew that's what I wanted.

When I got to Claire's office building, I made my way to the familiar floor that Claire's office was located on. This time, I took the elevator and when they doors opened with a loud _ding!_ I was welcomed by a more eager than ever Zara who looked as though she was going to talk my ear off on our way to the conference room.

"Zara." I nodded my head at her and smiled as she looped our arms together and dragged me in the direction of the conference room.

"Owen! Nice tie!" She started, making me shift uncomfortably on my feet. I can't remember the last time I wore a tie. "How was last night? You don't have to answer that. Maybe Claire will finally make some changes to that apartment of hers. Want any water?" She was rambling and it was hard to keep up so I just nodded my head and kept a smile on my face until she handed me a freezing cold bottle of water and showed me to the conference room.

When I walked in, I was happy to see that the room wasn't too large. There was enough room for all of the department heads and essential staff, but it was still cozy enough where Claire could be heard easily. I found my place around the large table and fiddled with the name tag in front of me when my phone notified me that I got a text message. Some of other people in the room turned and looked at me in a judgmental way, but i ignored it and pulled my phone out, switching it to silent. It was a text from Claire.

 **C: Make sure your phone is on silent x**

 **O: Thanks, it wasn't. See you soon. I like the x btw, super cute xx**

I wasn't the type of guy to be texting his girlfriend with little x's and o's, but for Claire I could make an exception. Not even a minute later, Claire came strutting into the room, asserting her dominance from the very beginning. Her posture was straight as an arrow and she just looked professional. _This is the woman I am in love with._

She started the meeting by handing out the packets Zara must have printed off this morning while Claire sat nervously in her office prepping for this very meeting, read it over again and again. I smiled at the memory of our breakfast before focusing back on the presentation. Claire was calling on each person, explaining to them individually what their task was and if there had been any damage to their enclosures and so on and so forth.

"Terrance, your enclosure had the most damage done, but nothing that cannot be fixed. All of your dinosaurs have been brought to a secure location and will be placed back in their enclosure this afternoon." Claire rambled on to the man sitting next to me. He may have been in charge of the triceratops, but I honestly had no clue. Claire turned to me and I could tell she wanted she smirk, but didn't. _She is being professional._

"Babe, you are well aware of…" she stopped, aware of what she just said. My eyes went wide and a light pink color started to crawl up her neck. Terrence cleared his throat and the room started to buzz quietly. Claire took a deep breath and straightened up, starting again. "Enough! Sorry Mr. Grady. You are well aware of the damaged done to your asset. She is recovering at an accelerated rate last time I checked. Your enclosure is intact and when do you plan on reintroducing the damaged asset with the rest?" I hated the word asset and I knew I was clenching my jaw harder than I should have been. "The _animals_ are great and having their _sister_ come back in the main enclosure with them this afternoon. After this meeting actually." I stared at her when I finished, daring her to ask me more questions about something she didn't have full knowledge of. Terrence cleared his throat again and I turned and glared at him. "Fine, moving on." Claire began to move on when someone in the back hollered, "Trouble in Paradise?" Everyone erupt into a fit of laughter besides me and Claire, who looked as if she was going to cry, but she would never. Not in front of these people.

"Next person to laugh will be terminated." Claire stated simply, the room turning deafeningly silent instantly. Claire was too angry to continue the meeting and Zara definitely sensed it. She jumped in quickly and effortlessly, telling everyone to refer to the emails that will be sent out later in the day about the content of the meeting. Everyone shuffled out quickly, apart from me, Claire and Zara, who all sat quietly for a long while.

"Well that could've been worse." I said, breaking the silence. If looks could kill, the look Claire gave me would've done just that. Zara muffled her giggle and exited the room, mumbling something about letting us talk. Claire finally sat down when the door closed behind Zara and she exhaled and long breath, looking up at me with tears threatening to fall.

"Hey, hey! Don't cry, baby." I told her, getting up and sitting in the seat next to her, placing my hand on her lower back to comfort her. She winced away from my touch, making me recoil and fold my hands together, slightly offended. "Okay, I know I'm not some high and might business man, but I didn't do this, you did." I knew this was the wrong thing to say the moment the words left my mouth and my heart shattered when I watched Claire squeeze her eyes shut tight and a tear dripped down her face. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "but this really could've been worse. Please say something."

She looked up into my eyes, her blotchy face making me want to hold her in my arms even more. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think I'm ready to go public just yet and _this_ is most definitely _not_ how I wanted it to happen." She was aggravated with herself. "At least it's done though." I told her, moving close to her again. This time she let me comfort her, which I appreciated. "This may not have been when or how you wanted this to happen, but it did. I don't mind and if you give it time, no one else will care." Her head was on my shoulder and her tears were being soaked up in the clean, button up shirt I wore just for this meeting. "Sure, your friends wont mind that you're sleeping with the boss, but my associates will judge me for sure." _Ouch._ That stung. I moved away from her and scoffed, getting up from my chair. She looked at me confused, wondering where I was going.

"Wait, don't leave." Claire said when I went to open the door and go back to the raptors, "Aren't we having lunch?" She asked, looking at me with a questioning look in her eyes. I scoffed at her, offended that she was worried about lunch at a moment like this. "Maybe call one of your associates who will "judge you for sure" when they find out about us." I told her, using full on air quotes and everything. That was low and I knew it. Before she could say anything else I stormed out of the office. When I passed Zara I didn't even stop when I heard her calling after me. I was upset and didn't want to talk about it right at that moment.

I hopped into my truck and sped off to my girls, excited to be having Delta be with her sisters again. I was so aggravated with Claire I knew I had to just slow down and think about everything before I made any stupid mistakes, but the second I hopped out of my truck, I ran right to Delta's enclosure and let her re-enter the main one. I hadn't checked to see if the other three girls were in there, which they were. This was a serious mistake. When Delta was taken out, she was exiled from the group in a way. They should have been brought back together slowly and one by one. I knew I had made a mistake and didn't want poor Delta to get beaten up by her sisters because of it. Without thinking, like I seemed to be doing everything today, I jumped into the enclosure and stood my ground, guarding Delta from the other three raptors.

Then everything went dark.

 **Claire's POV**

I slammed the door of my office in frustration and sat down behind my desk with a huff. I was angry! Beyond angry! Who did Owen think he was speaking to me that way? I was upset and he should have been there for me! I was lost in my own thoughts when I heard a light knock on my door. "Not now!" I screamed, too upset to see anyone right now. The door squeaked open and Zara popped her head in, giving me a fake smile as she walked in.

"I'm sorry Claire, but you're being ridiculous." Zara said, flat out, no sugar coating.

"Excuse me?" This wasn't any of her business. "Please leave and hold my calls. I need a moment." She didn't move at first, but frowned at me and stormed out, slamming the door in the same manner as I had. I scoffed at no one, because everyone was gone. I wanted to call Owen, but it was too soon. I knew I was being rash and I needed to just give him some space. I was still angry and I knew I wouldn't get anywhere if I called him yet. I picked up my phone and scrolled through it, stopping on Karen's name and giving her a ring.

Me and Karen hadn't spoken in far too long, but Owen had given me the idea of inviting the boys and her to come stay with me for a bit if they wanted and I had started planning a trip for them to come down. My finger hesitated over the 'call' button, but I swallowed my pride (and nervousness) and lifted the phone to my ear.

"Claire? Are you okay?" I released a breath and smiled a little bit. Karen was always a worrier.

"Hi Karen, everything is alright. How are the boys?"

"Zach and Grey are fine. Why are you calling?" Straight to the point. Im getting a little sick of that.

"Uhm… well I wanted to see if you and the boys wanted to come down and spend a week or two here with me at Jurassic World. I know Grey really likes dinosaurs, right? And Zach is… a boy? So he must like them too?" I had no clue what my nephews liked and it was sad. I heard Karen exhale loudly over the phone.

"You want us to come visit you? Are you sick?"

"Sick? No! Not at all. I just miss you guys. I miss my big sister. I miss being able to talk to her when I have a problem." I started to get choked up. I was emotional about not talking to Karen in so long and emotional about Owen. I needed guy advice and my older sister.

"What happened Claire?" She was worried, her voice was so gentle it was almost coaxing the tears out of me.

"I'm seeing this guy…" I started, but she gasped before I could continue.

"You're WHAT? Tell me everything now!" I felt my face fall at her questioning.

"It's… uh… it is relatively new still, but he is great. His name is Owen, he works on the island with me. Raptor trainer. I don't know if he wants to be with me anymore because I have commitment issues and care too much about what people think, but I'm pretty sure I could marry this man and I'm about to let him slip through my fingers." I was in a full on sob now, waiting anxiously for Karen to respond.

"Oh Claire Bear…" she started, but stopped, figuring out something to say I hope. "You are the worst with you feelings. Simple as that. You know what you want, but you don't let yourself have it. You know what?" She got quiet for a moment, whispering, "fuck what everyone else thinks." I chuckled, only my sister would try to amp me up and then whisper a cuss word. "You deserve to be happy too Claire and if this 'Owen' guy does it for you, stick with him. Oh and send me a picture of him because I need to figure out if you should just dump him and let me have him or not." I laughed at her, i missed her so much.

"Please come to the island. Bring the boys. It has been much too long. I miss you all so much."

"We are in." She said with confidence. "The boys are so worried about the divorce… ugh they deserve a vacation. Send us an itinerary and we'll be there." I was so happy I called her. No one else really knew how to make me feel better when everything felt like it was crumbling. Well Owen did. He was great at handling me when I needed to be handled, but this time I took it a step too far and I needed to let him know I was sorry.

"Alright Karen, I have to go find my raptor trainer."

As I was hanging up, I heard her cheering on the other end of the line and just as I dialed Owen's number, Zara came bursting through the door.

"Claire! Come quick! There has been an accident!"

 **DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! Enjoy it? Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! I usually upload on Monday's and I'm sorry this is a day late, but I feel asleep while proofreading last night. But anyways, ENJOY AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

Claire's POV

The drive to the raptor paddock is really only a ten minute drive, but sitting in the passenger seat of Zara's SUV while she maneuvered through the winding roads on the island, it felt like a lifetime. I was trying my hardest to not overreact, but the only information we received was that one of the trainers at the paddock had been injured and that trainer was most likely Owen. I knew it was Owen and it terrified me that I could lose him so very quickly. Our relationship had just began and there was so much left that I wanted to do with him.

When we finally arrived, I jumped out of the SUV before Zara even had time to put it in park. There was a medic on site and Barry was standing next to him, looking concerned and flustered. As I made my way over to them in a hurry, I caught eyes with Barry who tried his best to smile reassuringly at me. I could see right through his fake smile and stood in between him and the medic.

"How is he?" I asked to no one in particular. The air was heavy and suffocating me and Barry opened his mouth quickly, then shut it again, trying to find the right words.

"Grady took a pretty good spill." The medic started, putting a reassuring hand on my elbow before continuing, "He was in the cage with all four Velociraptors and I'm pretty sure he got knocked over by one of their tails during the reintroduction. It was pretty hard to get to him because the girls formed a sort of barrier around him. Honestly seemed like they were protecting him."

"He is their alpha." I said to the men before asking more questions. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Owen is a tough guy. Give him a couple of days to recover and he'll be good as new. Maybe a few bruises, but nothing major. Could've been a lot worse." The medic tipped his hat to us and walked back to the set up shelter where I presume Owen was being taken care of. When I turned to Barry again, he was smiling at me.

"You must be the lady keeping Owen on his toes." He smirked at me, causing me to blush.

"I think he's the one keeping me on my toes."

"You're good for him. I've never seen him like this." My heart started to ache when he told me this. All Owen wanted was for us to be like a real couple and let some people know, but I had to go and make a big deal out of it and now he's injured and I could've lost him. What if he had died? _Oh god._ I don't even know what I'd do.

"Hey, earth to Claire. Go see Owen! He's probably more worried than you are." Barry interrupted my thoughts and pointed to the tent behind us. I nodded my head and hugged him, thanking him for everything.

I turned and made my way over to the shelter slowly, more nervous than I thought I'd be. When I pulled the tarp back and entered the small shelter, my eyes were immediately drawn to Owen laying on a cot that was much too small for him, surrounded by three more than willing female medics. This made my blood boil. I wanted to be mad, but when I stepped into his line of view, his eyes met mine instantly and his face lit up.

"Claire!" He called out with a smile on his face. I made my way over to him quickly, basically pushing the women out of the way and standing by the side of his cot with my hands up in defeat. I knew he was bruised and probably really sore, so I didn't know where I could and couldn't touch.

"Honey, just gimme a kiss please." My heart sped up at his pet name for me and the desperation in his voice. I threw every bad thought out the window and sat on the edge of the cot, bringing my hands up to the side of his face and pulling him in. Our kiss was more heated than normal, but given the circumstances they seemed appropriate. Twenty minutes ago I thought this man had died and I never want to feel that way again.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered quietly against his lips once we broke apart. I felt one of his hands move to my cheek and wipe a stray tear away, while he pecked my lips once more. His head shook against mine as he shushed me and started to pull me down onto his cot. I opened my eyes and pulled back not wanting to hurt him.

"We'll get in trouble." I stated simply when he gave me a questioning look. His smile was back on his face in an instant and it warmed my heart as he grabbed my hand and pulled me down into a laying position with him. "You need to start breaking a few rule." He told me before wincing in pain when I put some of my weight on his shoulder. I gasped and immediately stood up to go and find another medic, preferably a man. Just as I was about to leave, Owen huffed and called my name making me stop and turn.

"I'm not broken. I'm literally just bruised up. Poor judgement call on my part, I'll admit that, but please don't get another medic. I just wanna go home and sleep." He was begging and I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I simply nodded my head and made my way back over to him to help him up.

"I'll drive you back to your bungalow if you want. Zara can follow us and just bring me home after." Owen's laugh caught me off guard and made me stop in my tracks and turn to look at him.

"If you think I'm gonna let you leave me, then you're more crazy than I thought you were. Can we just stay at your place? Drive my truck there and just tell Zara to go home. I've been dreaming about taking a bath in that tub of yours since I laid in it this morning." I slowly helped him to his feet and nodded, walking him slowly over to his truck where I helped him in the passenger side door. I closed it soundly behind him and walked over to Zara in her waiting SUV.

"Hi, thank you for staying. I'm just going to take Owen home, so you can leave. Sorry for making you come at all, I just don't think I could have driven here by myself." She smiled at me through the open window and nodded her head before answering. "Go take that man of yours to bed. You had one more meeting today in 45 minutes, but it is just another Skype call that can easily be rescheduled to tomorrow. I'll send you a reminder when I get back to my apartment. Now don't stress anymore and please, Claire, don't overthink this. Owen was right earlier, no one is going to care when this comes out. Maybe they'll be a bit shocked, but this has no effect on anyone else. Enjoy it." I smiled at her and leaned in to give her an awkward hug through the window before thanking her and jumping into the driver's seat of Owen's pick up truck.

The seat was pushed back a lot farther than I usually have mine. I adjusted the seat and fixed the mirrors before taking the keys from Owen and starting the engine. His truck was a great deal larger than my SUV, but driving it was sort of empowering in a way. Owen seemed to be enjoying the fact that I had no trouble controlling his truck and the permanent smile that was plastered on his face the entire drive home was proof enough. The ride was mostly silent, until we pulled into the parking lot for my apartment building. He sighed heavily and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his lips so he could kiss it. I looked over at him once I put the truck in park and shut it off. He still had my hand in his and squeezed it three times before letting it fall.

"When I let Delta in with the other girls, I immediately knew I made a mistake. I wasn't going to let her get hurt because I was angry at you." His eyes filled with sorrow and my heart ached from just looking at him. I reached up for his face and caressed his cheek while he continued. "They would have been fine with the transition had I not rushed it. I am so mad at myself for putting her in danger like that. So I jumped in. Not sure why I did that, but I was upset and just jumped in to distract the other girls while Delta ran. Charlie moved too quick when she saw Delta leaving and knocked me clean out with her tail. I honestly don't remember anything after that and I woke up surrounded by all of these women that weren't you. _I wanted_ you. When Barry finally came in, I asked where you were and told him about us… sorry. But he said he had a feeling and that he'd already called you." I stopped him from talking by kissing him soundly on the lips. He hummed into the kiss and moved a strand of hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"You have no reason to be sorry for telling Barry. I was being irrational and selfish. I enjoy this little bubble we live in and sooner or later we have to let people know. Also, I'm sorry I called your raptors assets at the meeting. It just slipped out and I know how angry that makes you." Owen smiled and me and nodded his head toward the apartment. I unbuckled my seat belt and told him to stay while I ran around the truck and helped him out and through my building.

The ride up the elevator to my floor was full of kisses and caresses and even though we only fought for maybe an hour maximum, I missed him. When we got to my place, we walked in, dropping most of our stuff on the counter and heading right to the bathroom. I started the bathtub for us and helped him strip out of his dirty, tattered clothes before removing mine as well and adding some bubble bath to the warm water. Owen released a loud moan when the warm water enveloped his bruised skin, but he seemed to enjoy the pain that came along with it. I wrapped myself in a robe and collected all of our dirty clothes, quickly throwing them in the washing machine before heading back into the bathroom and joining Owen.

I sat down across from Owen, not wanting to hurt him any further. I curled my legs and brought them up to my chest, smiling over at him as he closed his eyes and let the warm water nurse his offended skin back to health. I didn't add as many bubbles as I usually do, so they just sat in a thin layer on the top of the water, patches forming from where Owen's hands moved through them to play with the bubbles. I smiled at him as he laid there, at peace with the world around him, not seeming phased that he could have died only a few hours ago. The bubbles were starting to fade altogether now, so I took that as my opportunity to check out his body through the water. His head was tilted back against the head rest and his shoulder muscles were flexing and straining against his skin as he played with the water calmly. His chest was slowly moving in time with his breathing, and mine now that I think about it.

"Enjoying the view?" Owen asked, frightening me and making me gasp as I looked back at his face where his eyes were still closed, but his signature smirk was etched on his face. I giggled quietly and watched as her opened one of his eyes and splashed a bit of water at me, startling me and making me throw my head back laughing. "You've gotta stop doing that…" Owen said randomly, seizing my laughter and making me look up. "I can't move much and you look so fucking beautiful right now. I told you I wanted to test out this bathtub, but I wish I had full mobility." My jaw dropped a bit and I cleared my throat, suddenly turned on by the direction this conversation was going.

"I should've grabbed some wine." I said, to nobody in particular. This made Owen chuckle and I felt his hand under the water playing with my ankles that I finally brought down to one side of his body. My breathing became ragged just from his innocent touch and I had to remind myself that he was just knocked unconscious less than five hours ago. His grip on my ankle tightened and he tugged on it gently, signaling for me to come closer. "Owen…" I started, warning him. He sat up suddenly and grabbed my hips, moving my body so I was straddling his lap.

"I'm not made of glass, I'm not gonna break if you touch me." His voice was husky and laced with want. We were so close and his smell and touch were just so inviting. I felt him begin to harden underneath me and we both knew there was no going back. "I wanted to talk about this afternoon." I told him, not kissing him yet, using up every ounce of self control I had in my body. My eyes were on his lips, not letting myself look into his eyes. "What is there to talk about? You were embarrassed of the situation. I interpreted it wrong and overreacted. I'm sorry and I love you." He told he quickly, but truthfully. I felt a chill pass through my body as he planted a kiss on my neck, smiling into the next kiss he planted a little higher up on my chin when he felt me physically relax. "I like knowing that I can do this to you. Turn you on with just a few honest words and loving actions."

The next thing I knew, my hands grabbed his hair harder than I should have and smashed our faces together in a passionate, sloppy kiss. He moaned when I pulled back slightly and took his bottom lip between my teeth, touching our foreheads together and looking into each others eyes. "I just hated fighting with you and didn't want it to be on my mind when we have sex." He hummed and his arms lowered into the water to brush along my wet, silky smooth skin. "Claire Dearing, did you plan this?" He teased, making me release a muffled laugh right in his face. "I guess you're just that easy." "I'll show you easy." Once those words left his mouth, he brought a hand between us and ran his fingers over my saturated slit, making me gasp and my body jolt. "Hey, hey, hey, baby, you need to stay still." Owen's other hand moved to my hip and kept me in place under the water. He sunk a finger inside of me and gently stroked at my inner walls, making me pant heavily into his ear, the occasional swear word falling from my lips. He was rock hard against me and I wanted to help him out, but what he was doing with his fingers felt too good to stop. I started panting even heavier when he added another finger and started to trace shapes over my clit. My thighs started to shake and my walls were clenching around him. For some reason, my first reaction was to bite on his neck and Owen's body went into overdrive when I did. He brought both of his hands up and out of the water, stopping me from reaching my breaking point. I sighed and angrily reached between us and pumped him a few times, running my thumb over the head of his fully erect member. His head lulled suddenly before he could recover and the groan that left his throat sounded dangerous.

"No more teasing. I need you." His hands were back on my hips again once the words left his mouth and he brought me out of the water a little bit, the cold air sending a different type of chill through my body. I sank down on him and repositioned myself so I was squatting on his lap. When I was well adjusted to his length, I started to bounce on his lap, creating a slow pace, trying my hardest to not let all of the water in the tub spill out onto the floor. I tried to focus on the immense pleasure coursing through my body, but my mind was elsewhere.

"Owen… Owen… wait, hold on." I panted into his ear. He stilled his rocking hips and stopped his hands from lifting me out of the water again. Owen's eyes were wide, searching my face to try and figure out what the problem was.

"Are you okay? Am I hurting you?" His chest was heaving and I knew it was taking everything in him to not keep thrusting. I nodded my head and moved so my chest was against his, leaning my arm over to the towel rack and grabbing one, throwing it onto the floor next to us, trying to clean up the mess we were making. Owen chuckled into my neck and left a little love bite. "You're kidding right? We are literally in the middle of fucking and you stop to _clean_?" He shook his head, but I knew he was just messing around with me. I groaned when he thrusted his hips up into me again, hitting the spot I wanted him most. I bit my lip and forgot the mess on the ground, all of my attention back on Owen. His eyes bore into my own and it was his turn to take control. I knew he wanted to flip us over and pound into me, but that was impractical in this tub and he was still sore from his injury. I tried my best to reach all of the spots he usually did when he was in control, but I was getting frustrated and needed my release. I craved the feeling of letting go and letting Owen release into me as well. A frustrated sound left my throat before I repositioned myself once more, moving a leg higher up so new places could be reached.

"Owen, help. I can't do this. I'm not good in this position yet." I was begging him, but he was confused. My insecurities were suffocating me and I felt like I was breaking down.

"You're doing great." He gulped audibly and closed his eyes tight. He was so close and was holding out for me. There was a vein protruding from his neck and I leaned down to kiss it, focusing on the pleasure he was giving to me. "Just keep going baby. You can do this. Just _feel_ me." Owen's words echoed through my head and I was getting closer. His mouth moved down to my breasts and he took one into his mouth while he brought a hand up to tweak on the one that wasn't being ambushed by his sloppy kisses and tugs from his teeth. My head lulled backwards and I moved one of my own hands down to my clit, rubbing it aggressively to help me reach my breaking point. Owen swatted my hand away and his thick, calloused fingers worked their magic on my most sensitive spot. He grabbed the back of my neck and moved me so we could look into each other's eyes. This was it. I felt the familiar pressure building in the pit of my stomach and my thrusts were becoming sloppy. Owen's hand was working miracles on my clit and with one final rough thrust, we both came undone together. The feeling of Owen releasing inside of me never got old and I slowly lowered myself onto his chest once more.

We were heavily breathing onto each other, but neither of us cared. His hands were running lovingly through my damp mop of hair and mine were carelessly running over his chest. We were silent, enjoying the closeness of one another when Owen sighed in contentment.

"I really do love you Claire." He told me

"I love you too, Owen, so much so that it terrifies me." I lifted my head a little so my chin was resting on his chest and he leaned down to plant a kiss on my lips. "Oh, and I wanted to thank you." He turned his head to give me a questioning glance. "If it weren't for you, I never would have called my sister. We were talking for a little bit and she is planning on bringing the boys over for a week or two." I was excited and I could tell he was too.

"Claire… ugh I'm so happy for you. I cant wait to meet them." He was smiling like a school boy and the sun lines on his face were creasing a little more than usual.

"I cant wait to introduce you to Karen. She's insane and can be extremely inappropriate, but she'll love you immediately." Owen shifted under me, reminding me that he was injured just a few hours ago. I leaped up and grabbed a towel quickly, apologizing for just laying on him while he was probably in pain. He laughed at me and told me he was fine, it was just that, "my ass is going numb from just laying here, can we head to bed?" I smiled at him and nodded, helping him into a standing position and wrapping a towel around his waist before making our way back into the bedroom.

Today was hectic to say the least. We let our towels fall to the ground and we made our way under the covers on my oversized bed. Owen laid on his back and I all but melted into his side, suddenly becoming emotional again thinking about how I could've lost him.

"You need to be more careful with those raptors. I can't even imagine what I'd do if I lost you." I heard him chuckle and I looked up at him, bewildered. "What's so funny? I'm trying to be honest here." He moved a strand of my hair out of my eyes and tucked it lovingly behind my ear.

"I'm sorry I scared you today, but I'm fine. My girls are never going to hurt me on purpose, I swear. I'm just laughing at the fact that you made me _stop during sex_ because of all of the water on their floor, You truly are a rare find Claire." It was my turn to giggle and I hid my face in his armpit, embarrassed.

"I can't believe I did that, but there was just so much water, I started to get anxious thinking about the clean up." Owen laughed out loud, shaking the bed and bringing his hands up to cover his face.

"I can't believe we had such a huge fight this morning over nothing! And I wore a tie for you!" He exclaimed, continuing to laugh into his hands. A smile snuck onto my face and I moved to bury my face into his neck, leaving kisses whenever my lips came into contact with his skin.

"You might have to bring that tie over one of these nights. I think I need to get… better acquainted with it." I whispered seductively into his ear. A gruff noise escaped his mouth and I felt his member harden against my thigh. If I smiled any wider, my face would split in half.

"Kinky Claire is someone I could be quite fond of." Owen teased before flipping us over and brushing his member between by thighs, running it along my already wet folds. "Oh Claire," he started his ambush on my neck, his hot breath causing goosebumps to erupt all over my skin. "We're not even close to being done yet, sweetheart." And with that, he sunk into me, effectively ending the conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here ya go! Enjoy! Review!**

Owen's POV

The weeks seemed to merge together lately. Claire and I have been dating for nearly a month and a half now and after figuring out how to deal with telling our coworkers and the backlash from my lack of communication, I'd say we were starting to settle in nicely to this relationship. During the early weeks, Claire would try to contact me while I was working and when I didn't answer, she would show up at the paddock all crazy and hair brained, complaining about how she thought I had died. After my "near death" incident with Delta, she kept me on a close leash for a few weeks.

We are starting to settle into a routine, but lately we've been so busy with work that we barely got to see one another. Sure, we slept in the same bed almost every single night regardless of when we got out of work, but we are usually both so exhausted from the busy workday that we only have time to eat and sleep, then wake up and start the next day the same way.

For lack of better phrasing, it had been much too long since we last had sex and I knew it was driving me and Claire absolutely nuts. She would try to plan it out and pencil me in whenever her schedule had an opening, but as romantic as that sounds, things always seemed to fall through and she would just get frustrated and spend the rest of the day angry about it. As many times as I tell her that we have to let it happen naturally, she just doesn't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I understand that she is swamped at work and the paperwork seems to pile up on her desk, but when I offer to help her or just tell her to ignore it for a few hours, I get shot down.

As if the gods were trying to help us out, I woke up to an email from Simon Masrani himself (that he sent to the whole crew, so I shouldn't feel special) telling us that the park will be shutting down for two whole days for some routine upkeep. That meant no guests and a few slower days for Claire. Not only was she stressed about the guests that were currently at the park, but she was almost pre-stressing about her sister and her nephews coming to visit. The plans formed a while ago that they were going to visit, but now that it was concrete and she sent them the itinerary, she was definitely stressing more. They show up in a few days and Karen keeps sending her pictures of the boys and telling her about how excited they are to see all of the dinosaurs and how excited she is the meet "the studdly raptor trainer". Her words, not mine.

I rolled over to wake Claire up and share the good news with her, but I didn't have the heart to wake her. From my spot next to her in my bed, the sun was shining through the window of my bungalow and hitting her face in such an angelic way that it took my breath away. Claire is one of those naturally gorgeous women that don't need makeup, but who am I to stop her from wearing it? The dust that was floating around the ray of light seemed to dance across her face, letting me focus on the freckles that have been sprouting in patches over time across her cheeks. The sun brings them out more, so I try my best to get her outside as much as I can so I can count them when she's asleep. She started to stir and I shifted myself so she had some room to stretch out. After a few heavy lidded blinks, she turned to me and smiled tightly before stretching her arms above her head, not caring that the comforter was low on her body and her bare chest was exposed.

I leaned into her and smiled into her neck before leaving a few kisses there, making her shiver. I kissed my way up to her ear before pulling her earlobe in between my teeth and teasing her. She gasped, shocked at my forwardness, but too tired still to do anything about it. I shifted my eyes downward to her erect nipples and smiled at myself, bringing a hand up to fondle them, loving the feeling of her goosebumps against my rough skin.

"Owen…" she moaned, making my eyes look up at hers, "we can't. I have to get ready for work." I could tell she didn't want to get up and if she could take a personal day, should would in a heartbeat. I just smiled at her and propped myself up on my forearms so she could see my face now.

"I got a pretty cool email this morning that I think you would like to see." I told her, reaching over and fetching my phone from the nightstand. I unlocked it and pulled up the email for her to read. Pushing me off of her gently, she took the phone from me and read it over once, then twice. The smile on her face melted my heart and she handed the phone back to me before locating her own. When she found hers she smiled from ear to ear.

"This is seriously the best news ever!" She exclaimed before throwing herself back onto the pillow and closing her eye, the eccentric smile still plastered on her face. "I'm not leaving this bed all day." She stated simply, opening her eyes to glance at me. My smile was matching Claire's and I moved myself so I was laying closer to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her to my chest. She exhaled heavily and nuzzled in as well, making herself more comfortable as we both chased a couple more hours of sleep

When we woke up some hours later, we were starving! We both got up and walked into my kitchen, starting our routine for the day. I grabbed the bowls and the utensils, as well as the cereal, setting them on the counter while Claire grabbed the fruit and milk from the fridge, sliding the milk down to me. I had taken out the cutting board and a knife for her so she could cut up the fruit into a cute little fruit salad while I simply poured us bowls of cereal. I put the bowls on the table and the milk back in the fridge and replaced it with orange juice. I poured us both glasses and sat down just as Claire was finishing with the fruit. She placed my bowl in front of me and took her seat at the table.

"So, what is our plan for the day?" Claire asked me as she took a large spoonful of cereal into her mouth. I finished a watermelon slice and shrugged my shoulders, not caring about any type of plan today.

"We can do whatever. We've got two days off and you need to catch up on some rest!"

"Yeah and a lot of work I'm behind on." I rolled my eyes at her, bringing my hand up to scratch the scruff that was beginning to form on my face.

"You work to much and you need a break. Today we relax and tomorrow we do something, then when you go back, you'll have the energy to finish all of your work." She looked over to me and smiled, popping a grape into her mouth and nodding her head in agreement. "Wow, I didn't think it was gonna be that easy to convince Claire Dearing to not work." I teased her, smiling lovingly in the process. She laughed that laugh that stops my world and threw a pineapple cube at me. I tried to catch it in my mouth and missed terribly, smacking my chin on the table and making her laugh even harder.

"You think that's funny?" I ask her, rubbing the pain out of my chin. Claire couldn't even speak she was laughing so hard. Her cheeks and neck turning a slightly reddish color from her gasping for air. She was clutching her stomach and I started to laugh as well. I walked around the table and picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder and smacking her rear end once before dropping her onto the couch. "I'll show you what's so funny." I say, before starting my assault on her hips. Claire is very ticklish and I love to use it against her whenever I can.

I brought my hands up the her sides and let my fingers feather over them, adding pressure as her feet kicked and she laughed loudly. "Owen!" She shrieked when she noticed what I was doing and started to squirm to get out of my embrace. I brought my scratchy scruff of a beard up to her neck and gently rubbed it across the sensitive skin their while she was gasping for air. "You win!" she exhaled, out of breath, but a smile on her face nonetheless.

I took my hands off of her hips and was about to stand up when I felt her legs come around and pull me back down on top of her. Her eyes were wild and full of want. "It's been too long." She exhaled into my face, making my heart rate start to elevate. Her eyes like the stars, shining into my own and pulling me in towards her, captivating me. Her fingers laced into the long hair that sat at the back of my neck, teasing it and giving it a gentle pull, eliciting a moan from me.

"You need a haircut." She said simply, making me roll my eyes at her.

"I had a buzz cut for so many years in the Navy. Call it a rebellious phase, but I won't cut it until it bothers me." Her nails started to massage my scalp, easing some of the tension I had been feeling from working so much lately.

My hands snaked under her shirt and pulled it over her head quickly, suddenly in a rush to be connected and close to her again. Claire's body was intoxicating and when I started undressing her, everything else seems to just happen so fast. My mouth landed on hers and our urgent movements started to slow down. We both realized that we have literally all the time in the world and rushing things is not as romantic as it seems. I moved us so that she was straddling my lap as we made out on my couch, my hands rubbing circles on her hips. After a few minutes, I felt Claire start to giggle. I pulled back from her, suddenly confused as she covered her face from my questioning eyes and smiled into her hands. Her laugh seemed to echo throughout my living room and I lifted my hand to her chin, forcing her to look at me.

"I feel like a teenager. Rushed make out session on the couch before your mom comes and catches us." She laughed again, this time snorting and making me and her both laugh even more.

"Mom never caught me making out on the couch, but if she would've caught me with someone like you, she'd have no problem with it." I smiled into her lips before dropped a couple more kisses across her face. Claire suddenly became serious, the feeling in the room shifting slightly, but I couldn't tell where it went.

"I wish I could've met her. Just to be able to meet the woman who raised you and turned you into this loving man you are today." My heart ached. Never in my life had I missed my mom as much as I did right now. She'd never be able to meet Claire or my future children. _Our future children?_ I have to live my life wondering if she would ever be proud of who I am. Sometimes I find myself thinking about how different me and Claire truly are. She's a business oriented woman who wears pant suits and pencil skirts on the daily, her soft skin and gentle features completing the look and wrapping it in a nice red bow. I on the other hand come home everyday with a fine layer of sweat, dirt and grease covering my skin, my jeans mostly all have holes in them and my rough, sun tanned skin was the complete opposite from hers, but somehow it works. "Hey, don't do that. You can't just go somewhere else like that." I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a line of sweat forming at the base of it where my hair was getting too long. _Claire was right. I needed a haircut._

"She would have loved you. Mom. She would tell me not to break your heart because I would never recover from losing you. And she would be absolutely correct." Something in me snapped. I needed this woman and I needed her now.

My lips cover hers in a swift motion, catching Claire off balance as she held onto me for dear life. My breathing became more ragged and harsh and a desperate moan was shared between us. She pulled away from me, staring lovingly into my eyes while taking her lip in between her teeth knowing exactly what that does to me.

"I miss you, Owen." She confesses before wrapping her arms around my neck and moving us so I was on top of her. "I just really need to be close to you." Her honesty was invigorating and much appreciated, the look she was giving me was needy, but loving and the feelings she was emitting with just her eyes told me that she needed this. Needed me. Not just the sex, but _us._ An ally; someone she could trust with everything and I was becoming that person.

My hands reached down to play with the home of her panties, teasingly snapping them against her lower belly and causing her to arch her back, pushing her soft breasts against my hard chest, a low moan sounded deep in her throat that started a fire in me. She was leaving sloppy kisses all over my neck, moving up to the sensitive skin behind my ears. Claire had recently discovered just how sensitive this spot was and did everything in her power to make sure she remembered to nip and tease it, making me considerably harder within a matter of seconds. It was my turn to moan and Claire was already panting and ready, underneath me, staring up at me and waiting for me to have my way with her.

I slid my boxers down my legs as quick as I possibly could and the only thing separating us from being fully skin on skin were her barely there lacy underwear. My manhood was hard against her upper thigh and the smile she had on her face made me smile even harder. "I can't believe I do this to you." She whispered to me in awe, grabbing ahold of my member and teasing the tip with her thumb. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as she spread the dribble of pre cum down my length. I pressed my forehead to hers, our noses brushing gently and the scent of her arousal filled my senses.

I grabbed my length and rubbed it up and down her slit over her panties to tease her briefly before ripping them off of her easily and bottoming out in my first thrust. Claire and I simultaneously groaned out and her hands rested on my back, lightly scratching me with her nails as she adjusted to having me inside of her for the first time in days. When I felt her hips start to stir, I knew she was ready and starting thrusting in and out of her with ease. She was whimpering into my ear quietly and occasionally telling me how good whatever I was doing felt, which encouraged me to thrust faster and harder whenever she asked. Claire was starting to be a lot more vocal when we make love now and it was incredible. I liked that she was becoming more and more comfortable with us being together. I felt her walls start to contract around me and she clamped down incredibly tight when I hit a particularly deep spot inside of her, making me falter and nearly collapse onto her.

"Fuck! Claire… do that again, baby." I panted into her ear. I moved so I was able to look into her eyes again and she clenched around me as I attempted to regain my composure. I didn't think Claire could feel tighter than she already was, but I couldn't believe how much more pleasure I was receiving like this. My eyes were closed tight and my breathing was becoming more and more labored when I felt her hand reach up and rest on my cheek. I opened my eyes and stared into hers, as her legs wrapped around my waist and she began to match my thrusts. We were both desperate for a release and when I felt her clench around me, I shot my load deep inside of her, continuing my thrusts to make sure she was relieved.

"Damn…" she panted, unlocking her legs from around my waist and flipping us so we were cuddling naked on the couch, me on the bottom and her mostly on top of me.

"Yeah, damn…" I agreed before peppering her face with kisses. She giggled and swatted my chest lazily before sighing.

"We should've done this in your bed. I just wanna sleep all day now." She stated before nuzzling into me. I grabbed the blanket off of the back of my couch and laid it over us, receiving a thankful look from Claire as she inspected my chest carefully. "What are these marks from?" She asked, running her fingers over the small claw shaped scars I had on the right side of my chest.

"When the girls were young, they didn't know their own strength." I told her simply, making her sit up and turn to face me.

"The raptors did this?!" The look on her face was full of horror.

"Yeah, but I mean they were so young."

"You should have reported this. We could have done something to fix this."

"Like what? They scratched me. No biggie. Now don't worry about it." I could tell she was upset with me, but wasn't going to push it any further which I really appreciated. Over the course of our relationship, she has been so concerned that the raptors were going to hurt me, but she is start to learn that I love them too much to care and she knows to not push it now. "I promise you that I'm not going to get hurt around them again." I told her, pulling her back down into my arms.

"I pick up my sister and the boys tomorrow." She told me with an excited expression, more than glad to change the subject.

"That's great! What time?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"They should arrive around 1 o'clock. Would you want to come pick them up with me?" She asked, nervousness dripping from her voice. I chuckled as her and kissed the top of her head.

"Nothing would make me happier, Claire."

"And one more thing." She told me, grabbing my attention one last time, "I told Karen about us obviously, but I don't know how she'll feel about us sleeping together while they are staying with me. You know, a strange man, sleeping in the same apartment as her boys…" she trailed off.

"And my girlfriend!" I defended myself with a laugh. She frowned up at me. "I get it though. If she's uncomfortable with it, I won't spend the night, but I'll hate every second of it." I told her honestly. Claire sat up and brought me with her so we could actually see each other as we spoke.

"I don't want you to think I don't want you there, because I do, I just don't want anything to ruin this. I haven't been in their lives for so long and…" she was rambling, super cute and nervous rambling.

"Babe, I get it, no worries. I just sleep like shit when you're not next to me and I wake up and look for you. It sucks. I can't wait until I can wake up to you every morning." I spoke before I thought about what I was saying. I heard her gasp quietly and turn in my lap.

"Like… moving in together?" She asked. I mean it wasn't the craziest idea.

"It's too soon, sorry I even said anything." I quickly shot out, but her reaction was not what I was expecting.

She stood and started to get dressed only stopping to make a comment about me ripping another pair of her favorite panties. She threw my shorts at me and begged me with her eyes to get changed. I started to panic and thought she was going to to leave, but she stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, handing it to me after she took a swig from it.

"Is moving in together practical?" she asked, leaning up against the counter, seeming relaxed.

"I don't think it's impractical." I stated simply, letting her continue.

"Would we move in here?"

"If you want." I stated simply. She paused for a minute, the look on her face unreadable.

"Would you hate me if I said not yet?" She looked so nervous and it hurt my heart. I walked towards her and grabbed her hands, lacing our fingers together and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I could never hate you, Claire. I just meant that I hate waking up without you. It feels wrong. We definitely don't have to move in right now. We can give it as much time as you want and we can move anywhere. Your penthouse, my bungalow, a happy medium somewhere else." She cracked a smile and kissed my cheek, releasing a nervous sigh. "Now, let's go enjoy our day off!" I announced before walking out the front door and grabbing my fishing poles.

"Where are we going?" She asked me in a panicked tone.

"Claire Dearing, I can't date a woman who doesn't know how to fish." I teased her, leading her to my secret fishing spot and teaching her all of the basics. She even caught a few fish of her own to both of our surprises and she genuinely seemed too be enjoying herself.

When we got back to the bungalow, we decided we would go out and get food tonight for dinner which is a rarity for us. A new patch of freckles was forming around her nose from our day on the water and I couldn't help but comment on how much I loved them the whole ride to the restaurant.

When we pulled into the parking lot, it was packed and I knew Claire was nervous about going in together because she hated when people stared at her. I squeezed her hand a few times, earning a smile from her as we walked towards the entrance. I held the door open for her, making her smile again and we sat on the same side of the booth as we decided on what we were going to eat. Nachos and loaded fries did not seem like something Claire Dearing would even allow herself to look at, but here we are, cuddling together in the back of a slightly crowded sports bar, sharing greasy appetizers and watching the end of a football game. She had ordered some kind of fruity alcoholic drink while I settled for a tap beer and we were both just enjoying ourselves and the company the other provided.

"They have a pool table!" Claire announced excitedly. I followed her line of vision and saw a very busy billiards room full of people.

"We can come back with Karen and the boys and we can play then. Doubt either of us would be good right now." I have had one beer while Claire is lingering on her third. Buzzed Claire is so affectionate and handsy and I couldn't wait until we were at her house and in bed. We decided I would stay over at her house and drive with her to get Karen and the boys and then let the rest of the day just play out.

We quickly finished up at the bar and soon enough we were pulling into her parking lot at the apartment complex. When we got inside, she went into immediate cleaning mode. Not that her apartment is dirty by any means, but in Claire's mind, it was a pig sty. I sat down at the kitchen island and watched her scrub the counter top for a good five minutes before I had to stop her.

"Babe, you cleaned that already." She looked up at me and she sighed heavily, looking defeated. "Is there anything you want me to do? I doubt the boys are gonna mind if you have dust on your lamp shades and finger prints on your glass coffee table. If anything, they're gonna make it so much messier." I laughed, but the worried expression on her face told me now was not the time to make jokes. She opened her mouth as to instruct me on how to clean something, but she put the sponge down on the edge of the sink and started calming herself down.

"I just want this to be the most perfect week ever." She told me honestly, looking up from the sink so she could look at me, a small smirk forming on the end of her lips.

"And it will be, but you just can't try to make everything perfect. If the itinerary doesn't go exactly as planned, you have to promise me that you're not going to freak out. Please." She nodded her head and brought her hair up into a tight pony tail at the base of her head.

"I need you to be here with me. You know just what to say when I need to be talked down." She laughed this time, smiling fully and thanking me silently with her eyes.

I got up and opened her fridge, putting in our leftovers from the bar and then heading to a cabinet to get out a mug for tea. Claire drank a glass most nights, on the nights she doesn't drink a glass of wine from a glass that is nearly the size of her head. When I turned the machine on for the hot water, I heard her turn around and start walking. I wasn't sure where she was going, so I kept my back turned to let her do her own thing. The machine finally heated up and I hit the brew button and watched as the hoot water came flowing out of the spout, filling the cup and only splashing a few flecks of water out onto the counter around it. I was about to turn and grab the tea bags, but was stopped when I felt Claire's arms snake around my waist and pull my back to her front. She let out a deep breath onto my spine and relaxed into me. I spun around and brought her into my arms instead, happy that she let me relinquish her control and take over the situation.

"Thank you for being here." she said again, into my chest. "I really hope Karen doesn't mind you sleeping here with us." My heart skipped a beat, excited that Claire wanted me to be around her family so much.

"Me too, Claire. I really cannot wait to meet them."

When the moment was over, I unlocked my arms from around her as she went into the bathroom and started to get ready for bed. I finished making her cup of tea and brought it into the bedroom, placing it on a coaster she kept on her bedside table. I turned her lamp on and stripped down into my boxers and sliding in on my side.

Never in a millions years did I think my life would be like this so soon. Just a couple of months ago, I was a lady killer and heart breaker on the island. Thinking back on it now made me feel a little ashamed, but now I have Claire and I don't intend on losing her anytime soon.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again. It's been a crazy week, but here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy and please please please review!**

Owen's POV

Our morning went by pretty quickly, but that didn't stop Claire from stressing about every little thing. She just wanted to get to the pier to pick up her family that she hadn't seen in much too long, but time seemed to drag for her. I, on the other hand, was there to help her relax as we waited and I even dusted the ceiling fan as many times as she asked me to without a single complaint. Not only was she watching the clock like a hawk, but she had an alarm set on her phone, as well as on my phone, that would let her know it was time to pick them up.

Karen had texted Claire when their plane landed and when they got on the boat and now it was time to go and pick them all up. We decided to take my truck because I had a lot more space for their luggage and when we were walking through the apartment parking lot, hand in hand, I felt her tense and gasp before stopping in her tracks. I turned, all attention on Claire, as I tried to figure out what was wrong.

"We didn't clean out your truck!" She was in a full on panic and grabbed my keys from me, running to my truck and swinging the back door open with a loud creaking sound. It was flung open with such force that it ended up swinging back and nearly taking Claire out, forcing her to regain her footing before she spun back around and looked at me with loving eyes. "Owennnn…" she dragged my name out and wrapped her arms around me, thanking me for cleaning my truck out without her having to ask.

"I figured we'd be driving in my truck at some point this week." I shrugged, a smirk still on my face as her hand rested on my bicep and rubbed it lovingly as we walked back to my truck. I walked around and opened the passenger side door for Claire, helping her up before walking back around and getting in the driver's seat. She was leaning over the middle console, still rubbing at my bicep in an affectionate manner as I drove to the pier in record time.

We were a few minutes early, which Claire was happy about and we both hopped out of the truck so we could get a good spot close to the water where the boats would dock momentarily so that Karen and the boys could see us easily. Claire was visibly nervous, but for the first time since this visit started to take form, she looked genuinely excited. The smile that was painted across her face made a small dimple form and she softly bit her lip before turning to me and smiling even deeper, her face nearly splitting in half. I reached for her hand, squeezing it lovingly before bringing it up to my mouth so I could gently plant a couple on kisses on the back of it while my thumb rubbed the impossibly soft skin between her thumb and pointer finger. I was about to say something to her, but was interrupted by the sight of the ferry boat that came into view. I closed my mouth and grabbed her chin gently, turning her face and unlocking my truck doors and she jumped out and nearly sprinted to the unloading area.

Claire's grip on my hand tightened as the boat docked and the passengers came rushing off in a hurry. I could see over the crowd, but Claire's calves were getting an incredible workout as she balanced on her tip-toes and tried to see around the people making their way to land. Right as I was about to tell Claire that I saw a young boy who resembled her nephew Grey, the child came barreling through the throng of visitors and attached himself to his aunt's torso. His death grip was only halted when an older boy, who I assumed was Zach, grabbed him by his backpack and mumbled something about being annoying. When he stumbled backwards, Karen made herself known by preventing Grey from falling and scolding Zach, telling him he needed to grow up and stop being mean to his brother. When Karen spotted Claire though, she easily forgot about her sons bickering and enveloped Claire in a bearhug which Claire happily reciprocated.

"Claire Bear! I missed you so much little sis!" I smiled at Claire's nickname and logged it in my memory for future use. I decided to join the group and make my presence known by stepping forward and clearing my throat, shoving my hands in my pockets and smiling, more shyly than I would have liked to, in Claire's direction, not wanting to ruin the reunion. Claire smiled at me when she got done hugging Karen and then Zach, stepping closer to me and hugging me around my middle with one of her arms and leaning her weight into me.

"This is my boyfriend, Owen. He's a raptor trainer here on the island and would love to answer all of your dinosaur related questions, Grey." She said, taking a step toward Grey to rustle his hair quickly before coming back to my side. I was about to say hello to the group when Karen squealed and dove in and hugged me, then hugging Claire again and then stepped back to smile at the two of us, taking in the image of us standing close together on the pier.

"I'm so so so happy for you, Claire!" She started, smiling from ear to ear, making Zach roll his eyes. "I honestly didn't think he was real at first, but he is _exactly_ how you described him. Congrats!" A light pink color started to lightly and subtly paint itself over Claire's freckle covered cheeks, making them look that much more adorable. I shoved my hand in her back pocket and felt her sigh against me before we realized we were just standing in the middle of the hustle and bustle of drop off time and that we could get better reacquainted at Claire's apartment. I grabbed Karen's bag and led the group to my truck, Zach and Grey helping me load the bed of it with all of their luggage. Claire jumped into the passenger seat and Karen and the boys jumped in back, already talking about all of the things they wanted to do while they were on the island.

The drive to the apartment was quick and the conversations were flowing easily. Claire seemed more relaxed than ever and for some reason I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I knew she was over the moon about seeing her family again and I guess there was a small part of me that was nervous that it was going to end terribly, but this was the best case scenario. When we pulled into the lot, Claire and Karen immediately retreated into the building, leaving me and the boys to grab the bags.

"I guess we've got this!" I hollered at Claire, who turned and winked at me before heading through the main door of the complex. The boys stood off to the side while I removed all of the bags from the trunk and placed them gently on the ground beside me. I looked up at them and smiled, not knowing what to say to them, but wanting to come off as friendly. "I don't bite, but my raptors sure do." I joked, making both of them crack a smile and collect their bags.

The second we got into the elevator, Grey drilled me with every question he could possibly think of about dinosaurs, which I answered to the best of my ability. Once we reached the floor, Grey raced out of the elevator, turning and running down the hall before Zach and I could even move.

"He's a handful, but he means well." Zach said, looking exhausted. I chuckled at him and clapped him on the back, letting him exit the elevator first. When we got to Claire's room, she immediately opened it for us and let us file in. The boys ran past her and Grey was spinning in circles around her fluffy white carpet while Zach joined his mom at the island, finding a chair and filling it. I was about to walk in when Claire puts a hand on my chest and pushes me into the hallway silently. I must have looked thoroughly confused, because she giggled at me to assure me nothing was wrong before her lips brushed gently over mine, kissing me chastely. I dropped Karen's luggage and my hands rested on her butt, pulling her in closer to deepen the kiss. Claire had other plans though and took a step back, making me whine.

"Thank you for getting the bags, I really appreciate it." She told me, kissing me once more before biting her lip again. I internally moaned. "I have something for you though." She stated simply, her hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out a key and holding it up for me to see. My forehead creased as my eyebrows joined together in confusion and I took the key from her to examine it further. "It's to my apartment. I don't care if dating for two months is too soon, we are kind of an untraditional couple so…" she was looking for words, so I didn't interrupt her, "I want you to have a key. We work weird hours and I want you to be able to come and go as you please. Especially these next two weeks with Karen and the boys. I know they aren't your family, but you're like the most important person in my life and Karen is okay with you sleeping in my bed with me while they're here and so I figured you could get some stuff from the bungalow and just like live her for the next couple of weeks because I'll definitely need your help with these boys." She was rambling and everything she was saying was making me so happy.

I stepped foreword and kissed her again, this time passionately. I pulled her close to me and moaned into her mouth when she tugged at the hair at the base of my neck. I pushed her against the wall and nipped at her bottom lip, giving her tongue the opportunity to find mine and battle for dominance. She started to tickle my neck and send chills throughout my body, moving one of her hands into my back pocket to pull me closer to her. "The feeling's mutual," I mumbled against her lips before nipping her bottom lip once more and pulling away. She looked at me questioningly as she wiped her mouth against her forearm and started trying to fix her hair. "You're the most important person in my life as well." I finished before grabbing her hand and Karen's suitcase before walking back into the apartment.

Once inside, I brought Karen her bag, who looked at me knowingly and made my cheeks begin to warm up. She gave Claire the same look she gave me and Claire simply turned around and grabbed a wine bottle from the fridge and poured a couple of glasses for her and Karen. The boys were in the living room, Zach was settled on the couch with his eyes glued to his phone while Grey was jumping up and down, looking out the window asking his mom when they could go to the park. She was ignoring him completely, he must've asked the same question at least forty times since he got here, but she was already making knowing faces at Claire, obviously wanting to drill her with questions about our relationship.

"Who wants to see their rooms?" Claire asked suddenly, making the boys both look up and follow her into the spare bedroom. "You guys will be sharing this room, or one of you can sleep on the couch. It doesn't really matter to me, but I only have two spare rooms so…" she walked directly across the hall and opened the door, showing Karen her room. All three of them filed into their correct rooms with no trouble at all, making Claire let out a relieved sigh before grabbing my hand and walking back into the kitchen.

"When can we go to the park, Aunt Claire?" We heard Grey shout from the bedroom.

"The park is actually closed today, Grey. They had some scheduled maintenance, but it is open tomorrow, so we can go bright and early if you want to." she informed the boy who came running into the kitchen, sounding like a stampede of elephants all on his own. He wrapped her in a hug again before running back into his room to unpack again.

"I'm going to go to the bungalow and get some things, leave you guys to have a family moment if you want one." I told her, kissing her head and turning to put my shoes on, but she stopped me and made me turn back around.

"You don't have to leave yet. You really aren't a bother at all." She told me, honestly.

"Yeah, but Karen really seems to want to talk to you and she's not going to with me around, we both know that."

"Would you want to take the boys to Sunrio with you? Give me and Karen some one on one time?" She asked me hopefully, grabbing my hand and squeezing it again, her eyes sparkling up and me and taking my breath away. I couldn't possibly say no to her and I wanted to get to know her nephews as much as I possibly could, so when I nodded my head and told her no problem, her simple, "I owe you one" was like music to my ears.

Her family came back into the living room and we told them the plan. Karen looked more than excited to leave her boys with me, giving her a chance to ask Claire questions most likely about our relationship. Zach and Grey didn't seem to mind and followed me out to my truck quickly when I mentioned to them that I lived in a small bungalow in a deserted area of Jurassic World. Their interests were immediately spiked and they all but ran outside, with me close on their heels.

Zach hopped into the front seat, calling "shotgun for the rest of the trip!" with much protest from Grey and when we pulled into my gravel parking area, not suitable enough to be called a driveway, the boys were in awe.

"You live here?" Zach asked, jumping out of the truck and taking in the area around him. I nodded at him and started walking towards the house, the boys on my heels this time.

"Nothing can get us out here, right?" Grey squeaked, making me turn around and assure him that he was perfectly safe. Zach put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him and I unlocked the front door, leaving it open for the boys. I walked into my bedroom and started packing some clothes into a NAVY duffel bag I found in my closet when my phone rang. It was Claire.

"Hey babe." I breathed into the receiver effortlessly.

"Hey…" she exhaled, "what do you want to do for dinner?"

"I'll do whatever, you know me." I told her, zipping up my bag after throwing my phone charger in and tossing it over my shoulder. I walked into the kitchen to find the boys standing and simply waiting for me.

"Ask the boys if they mind that pub we went to the other night. Burgers and appetizers?"

"They're teenagers, they'll probably eat anything." I looked at the boys who nodded in agreement making me laugh. "Yeah, they're good with pub food."

"Okay perfect, want to meet us there or come grab us first? Karen is probably starving after all of the questioning she's been doing." Claire sighed, making me laugh again.

"We can come pick you up, but I have to warn you, Zach called shotgun for the rest of the trip." It was Zach's turn to laugh and he actually smiled at me, making me feel accomplished altogether.

"Well, good luck to him if he thinks he can take _my_ seat that easily." I liked this Claire. I mean I love this woman, but she's just so playful right now and I wish she could always be like this. Not stressed about work and worrying about what assets are doing what.

"We'll see you in fifteen." I told her before exchanging "I love you"s and hanging up.

We were seated at the pub the second we walked in. It was almost completely dead and the billiards room was even empty. We all ordered burgers and shared an order of loaded cheese fries that Claire was talking highly about, crammed into a booth that was obviously meant for only four people. We made it work though and quickly ate all of our food before making our way into the pool room. The boys ran off to get their own table while us adults stood around one preparing for a game.

"You two against me?" I asked them, making both of them nod in agreement and pick up their cues. The game was friendly enough, but both Claire and Karen had several drinks at this point, making them so much worse at the game. I gave the boys $20 to spend at the arcade and soon enough, Karen started questioning _me._

"So what are your intentions with my baby sister?" She started off, leaning against her cue pole for balance. I smiled at her and played along.

"I love your sister and have nothing but good intentions," I started, making Claire come stand by my side and lean up to kiss me on the cheek. "Claire Bear is it for me." I finished, making Karen lean her head back and cackle like a hyena while Claire lightly smacked my chest and frowned at the nickname.

"I know a respectable man like you would never have sexual relations with my sister before marriage, so what do you guys do for fun?" My jaw dropped and I felt my eyes widen at her, looking at Claire quickly to try and figure out how to answer. Before I could, Karen laughed even louder this time. Claire laughed too and joined her sister on the other side of the table. "I know you guys are doing it. No way she could be dating someone as attractive as you and not get laid." These sisters were much too drunk to be having a normal conversation and I was just happy that the boys weren't anywhere nearby to hear this.

"Oh my _God._ Karen." Claire whisper screamed at her sister from right next to her. "You have no idea how amazing the sex is." I was shocked again, but wasn't about to interrupt Claire candidly and honestly talking about our love life. "He knows _exactly_ what to do." Karen sighed exasperatedly and stomped her foot like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

"Why can't I find a man like that? I need a good fuck." Both of them were whispering, but it was coming out at almost a normal volume, entertaining me to no end. Just when the situation couldn't get any funnier, Zara walked in and smiled at the inebriated women who must have invited her.

"ZARA!" Claire hollered, waving her hands in the air to get the woman's attention even though she was already on her way over. After introductions, Zara ordered a drink and picked up a pool cue of her own, even though they had no plans of continuing another game. Claire walked over to me and smiled lovingly up at me before kissing me and then cuddling into my side. I pulled her in and played with her hair while her assistant and her sister introduced themselves to one another. I quickly checked on the boys, who were still in the arcade, and turned my attention back to the women and their overly sexual conversation. I felt Claire slip her hand in my back pocket and give me a nice squeeze, making me jolt at the foreign public act, but smile down at her nonetheless.

"Frisky tonight aren't we?" I whispered in her ear so only she could hear me. Claire simply bit her lip for the millionth time today and looked up at me through her long, mesmerizing eyelashes. Right when I was about to lean in for a kiss, Karen's voice interrupted us, telling us to get a room.

"We totally would, but you and your sons are staying much too close for us to be able to enjoy ourselves." Zara nearly spit out her drink and smiled at me, not realizing how drunk Claire was when she first walked in. A wicked smile spread across her face.

"Okay sis," here goes Karen again, "We can all tell that Owen is wildly attractive. Look at those arms!" It was my turn to blush, "But _that_ must be too good to be true." I was confused, but Claire laughed aloud and squeezed my bicep for balance as she took a step forward, grabbing her sister and just started spilling her guts.

"God, Karen the sex is mind blowing. It seems way too good to be true right? We did it in my office during lunch break once," she gossiped, gaining Zara's attention even more, who turned and looked at me before focusing back on the gossip. "He does this thing with his tongue.."

"Okay! I think that's enough Claire." I said, walking over and grabbing her arm. She frowned at me and broke away from my grasp, looking at her sister, but talking to me, "She wants to know Owen."

"Yeah we want to know Owen" Zara told me, laughing at this carefree Claire. I exhaled and let her go, knowing it couldn't get much worse.

"Okay, no tongue talk, but he's such a good kisser." She turned and smiled at me, before turning back and whispering, "and he's _huge_ didn't think he was gonna fit in me at first. Totally like 8 inches…" I shot up from my spot and tried to cover her mouth before she finished her sentence, but she just told them all.

"Okay! I think it's time to go honey, you've had way too much to drink.." I knew my face was bright red and all eyes were on me. Claire was confused, not herself in the least bit, but cooperating as I led her out of the billiards room and back to the booth. She stayed seated as I got the boys and told them we were leaving. Karen followed in suit, suddenly acting more sober than I felt even though I didn't drink any alcohol. Zara made her way to her car at the same time we went to my truck and left when we did, not saying much, but giggling as she drove off.

The ride home was almost silent, besides the occasional comment from Grey telling us how excited he was about the dinosaurs tomorrow. We made it to the apartment easily and by the time we got there, Claire and Karen were both asleep. When we parked, the truck turning off woke both of them up and Karen and the boys started walking up the the room. Claire was groggily and needed assistance, so I walked around and helped her out.

"Sorry." She mumbled quietly as she rested her head on my chest to shield her eyes from the blinding light in the elevator. I just chuckled at her and held her close, "No worries." I mumbled before kissing the top of her head. Karen and the boys were waiting at the door for us, making my heart happy that I would be able to use _my_ key to open the door as I fished it out of my pocket. Karen must have noticed that I had my own key, because she smiled at it and then back at Claire who gave her a slight nod.

I made a beeline to the fridge and grabbed Claire a water bottle and pain relievers, following her into the bedroom, where she was in only her underwear, changing into pajamas. When she couldn't get her leg into her plaid pajama pants, she huffed and fell back onto the bed, defeated.

"I need help" a bare chested Claire exhaled, letting her pants hit the ground. I chuckled to myself and kneeled in front of her, slipping the water bottle and pills into her hand, smiling happily at her when she immediately took them.

"You weren't very well behaved tonight." I told her as I pulled her pants up her waist and helping her put her shirt over her head. Once she slid the shirt on, she gave me a questioning look, as if she didn't remember the past hour of sex talk with her sister and assistant. "C'mon Claire, you don't remember any of it?" She shook her head 'no' and took another gulp of the cold bottled water. "You were about to tell them about that thing I do with my tongue." She gasped audibly and covered her face with her hands, falling back onto the bed again.

"Oh no! Please tell me you stopped me!" She whined out.

"Of course I did. Don't want anyone else learning my tricks. You just wouldn't stop though. Told them how big I was though." Claire inhaled sharply and opened her eyes wide, leaning on her elbows to make eye contact with me.

"You've got to be lying to me." She looked absolutely mortified. I shook my head 'no' again and she sat up pulling me in and resting her head on my chest. "I'm so sorry, Owen. That was your business, not mine. I don't know why I'd even say that. Karen can get anything out of me I guess." I shrugged my shoulders and pulled her in closer.

"Kinda like to think of it as your business, no one else's. Besides, you were wrong anyways." She lifted her head off of my chest and looked in my eyes, brows knitted together. The creases on her forehead made a new set of freckles move around, drawing my attention to them. I wish her freckles didn't ever go away or get covered up by her makeup.

"Wrong about what?" She asked, suddenly acting completely sober.

"My _length."_ I watched her physically shiver at my words, but look me in the eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"What did I tell them?"

"Not important."

"Did I short you?"

"Not by much, not important though." She huffed and made moves to leave the room. I stepped in front of her and begged her to not make things with Karen more awkward.

"I'm not going to get a measuring tape or ask Karen, I just wanted to go say goodnight to everyone." She told me, mocking me. I nodded my head and grabbed her hand, following her into the kitchen where we found the boys on the couch watching tv and Karen drinking water at the island, scrolling through her phone.

"Were we being too loud?" Karen asked, locking her phone and looking up at us.

"No! Not at all! Just came to say good night." Claire said, pulling each of them in for a hug.

"Better rest up!" I told the boys, "Gonna need a lot of energy to meet my raptors tomorrow." I told them simply, grabbing both of their attention. Grey was practically bouncing off the walls, pulling on Claire's sleeve and hugging her tightly again.

"You have the coolest boyfriend in the world, Aunt Claire!" He squealed, Zach coming over and holding his shoulders to calm him down. Claire blushed suddenly, turning to make eye contact with me and smile.

"You've got that right, Grey."

I could get used to this family thing. I know it's only temporary and they'll be gone in a couple of weeks, but Claire was already talking about future visits and other things we are going to have to schedule and plan for them all to do. Having them here was going to be crazy, but fun and worthwhile, but most of all, seeing Claire interact with her nephews with so much love and patience made my heart beat faster than usual. When Grey clings to her torso and tells her how happy he is to be here, I picture a future full of children with Claire. A red headed baby girl that was basically a clone of Claire running around just like her mama.

Claire turned in her sleep, snapping me out of my dream and making me grab her by the waist and pull her in close to my chest. She nuzzled into my neck, smelling a bit like alcohol, but her vanilla lotion invading my senses regardless. Claire peppered a couple of kisses on my bare chest and mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" I asked quietly, just in case she was asleep as I stroked her damp hair.

"I just love ya is all, honey." She confessed like she did almost every night, the words still having the same effect on me as they did the first time she told me. My hand moved down to her bare back and I traced shapes against her silky smooth skin, rubbing harder where I felt indents left my her bra straps.

"Love you too, baby, so much." I left a few more kisses on her head, more thankful than I'd ever been in my whole life when Claire told me that Karen had no problem with me sleeping here while they were visiting. I was thankful for her whole family being here. Claire is happy and I am definitely happy and life is good.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Wow! This is the longest chapter I've written this far, but it's a really big one! Enjoy!**

Owen's POV

A sudden, loud crash wake me, making me spring up in bed and reach for Claire immediately, pulling her in close to me in a protective manner. She looked just as confused as I probably did, but smirked up at me and brought her hand up to brush across my stubbly cheek and silently thank me for protecting her, even though the sound that startled me was only her family in the kitchen. The boys were most likely trying their hardest to quietly make breakfast for themselves. I brushed my hand over my face, letting go of Claire's waist and falling back dramatically on the many fluffy pillows that found a home on Claire's bed, letting myself wake up completely.

The bed shifted next to me and I didn't have to open my eyes to know that Claire was going to make her way into the kitchen and join her family. Not wanting to interrupt them too much, I stayed put and kept my eyes closed while she moved about the room, most likely getting suitable clothes on. When I heard the door creak open, I took a peek in her direction and couldn't help but smile at her. She was casually leaning against the doorframe, facing me, one hand on her hip and her opposite leg brushing gently against the other, presumably rubbing an itch or just warming herself up. Her head subtly nodded in the direction of the kitchen and her teeth started to tease her lower lip, enticing me and giving me no other option but to get out of bed and join her and her family. When I made it to her, she wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a loving kiss on my lips, pulling away and brushing my bangs out of my face. I hummed contently and rubbed my nose against hers before removing my hands from around her waist and grabbed her hand, our bare feet padding toward the noise that had startled us awake.

The image in front of us made us both look at each other simultaneously and laugh. Gray was standing at the stove, tip toes strained so he could see the food he was preparing better. There was egg and pancake mix residue on just about every surface I could see and loving, older brother Zach was seated on the island, heels kicking into the cabinets underneath it, eyes focused on his phone. While Zach didn't notice us enter, Gray noticed instantly and bee lined to us, leaving the bubbling and smoking egg concoction on the burner.

"Need some help, buddy?" I asked him while Claire rubbed some egg mix off of his cheek.

"I can do it." Gray confidently responded, turning and leaving us to take in the condition of the rest of the kitchen. He must have attempted to make pancakes as well, but failed miserably, because there was flour covering the counter and part of the floor and a sticky mixture of ingredients splattered on the stovetop as evidence. I expected Claire to freak out, full on panic actually, but what she did next shocked me.

"Gray, honey, come wash up for me. Owen can make some breakfast for us." Claire said, grabbing Gray's hand and leading him to the bathroom, catching my eyes as she was walking out and silently pleading me to clean _everything._ As she was walking away, she whispered something to Zach, who finally looked up, eyes widening immediately and dismounting the counter quickly, grabbing the paper towels from my hands and looking worried.

"So sorry about him. He means well, honestly." Zach muttered to me, not daring to make eye contact.

"Hey," I started, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him and grab his attention, "it's not your fault and it really isn't his. He's a good kid and so are you. We know you both mean well." I felt him relax and he smiled at me finally before releasing a breath and helping me clean up the disastrous kitchen.

"You know we want you here, right?" I asked him, but said it as though I were telling him. He was en route to the fridge to grab the eggs again to make some actually edible food.

"I guess," he shrugged, "but it's been so long since I've seen Aunt Claire. I don't really know what to say to her." He placed the eggs on the counter, putting his arms out and dropping his head, defeated. He looked over at me, silently begging me for help.

"You could literally talk to her about anything and she'd be over the moon. Claire loves you guys so much and really just wants you to be happy."

Zach cracked an egg into the newly cleaned pan and the sizzle sound filled the silent void that ensued after my statement. I walked to the fridge and pulled out the bacon, placing it in the pan next to Zach's eggs and again placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to show him I was here for him if he needed me.

I turned and started toward the bathroom, going to check on Claire and Gray, but was stopped in my tracks when Zach called my name. I looked over my shoulder, slightly turning my body to acknowledge him.

"Thanks, Owen. I appreciate it." I simply nodded at him and smirked, not trusting my voice from wavering. Never did I think I would want a kid to like me so much, but Zach was so misunderstood, much like I was when I was his age. I saw a lot of myself in him and the need to help him through whatever situations were to arise washed over me. I was feeling protective of this kid I had just met, but it felt nice.

Claire was walking out of the bathroom just as I was about to walk in. She smiled at me and pushed Gray toward the kitchen to join his brother again.

"Everything okay?" She asked me, rubbing my back as we stood, again alone, in the hallway.

"Yeah, yeah. Just chatting with Zach. He's a good kid." She bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, but I saw it anyway and inwardly groaned. "What? Why the lip bite?" I asked her, leaning my head on her shoulder to shield my face.

"I just think it's really attractive that you like them so much." Claire told me, in a low volume voice, making it all the more intimate. I took my head off of her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her. She chuckled, starting again. "If you think for a minute I didn't eavesdrop on that whole conversation, then you're wrong. Makes me imagine things and… ugh my family is here. Never mind." This sparked my curiosity.

"No, no. Tell me about these thoughts, _Claire Bear._ " It was her turn to groan this time. She opened her mouth to speak, but we were interrupted by Karen walking out of her room.

"Good Morning!" She spoke from behind us, separating us and wrapping an arm around each of our waists, dragging us into the kitchen. "Whoa, Zach, you made breakfast?" She was shocked.

"Gray nearly burned the kitchen down, so I decided to help." He shrugged, making Gray gasp.

"Hey! You promised you wouldn't tell her!" He punched Zach in the arm and Zach just shook his head.

"Enough boys, we are guests." Karen scolded, walking away from me and Claire to pour a glass of orange juice and help Gray set the table.

The rest of the morning went on smoothly, no more major bumps along the way. We all ended up going to our respected rooms to prepare for the day that was about to ensue. Gray was talking a mile a minute about all of the dinosaurs he was excited to see, which were easily all of them, but it made the rest of us all the more excited as well.

We all headed to Claire's SUV and I hopped into the passenger's seat out of sheer instinct. I saw Karen smirk out of my peripheral vision as she climbed into the back next to her son's, but kept her mouth shut. I looked back at her and opened my mouth to offer her the seat, but she raised her hand in a motherly manner, to silence me and simply winked at me instead. Even though I knew she telling me that she was fine in the back, for a moment I felt genuinely bad just for assuming the seat would be mine. Karen was visiting and was the guest and should be allowed to sit next to her sister whom she hasn't seen in years. Karen must have sensed my overthinking and leaned forward, placing her hand on my shoulder whispering, "Don't worry about it," kissing me in a motherly manner and sat back. I relaxed then, knowing it was really okay, but scared that I would be overanalyzing everything this whole week.

Claire slid into the driver's seat and turned around immediately, asking if everyone was seat-belted and once she got a "yes" from everyone, she drove off toward the park. Soon after we pulled out of the lot, her hand reached for mine from my lap and rested them together on the middle console, for everyone to see. It made my heart happy to know Claire was so comfortable about us, maybe even more comfortable than usual around her family. Her family was so welcoming and loving and even though there were only three of them, I felt this dying need for them all to like me, for them all to want me to be around.

I brought Claire's hand, which was still tangled within my own, up to my mouth so I could kiss each individual knuckle tenderly, one by one, before bringing it down to rest over my heart. I was hoping she could feel how my heart was racing and it was for her only. She must have caught on, because she looked over at me very quickly and smiled. Her eyes were twinkling and pulling me in deeper, making me fall for her all over again. I was the one who broke the eye contact, not wanting to get in a car accident from distracting Claire, clearing my throat quickly.

"So, Gray, what do you want to see first?" Claire asked the young boy, whose feet were kicking into the back of my seat out of pure excitement.

"The T-Rex!" Gray all but screamed, causing Zach to flinch and then scoff and take his headphones out.

"Zach, no." Their mother said simply, holding out her hand and forcing him to give them to her, which he did with a moan. Karen put them in her purse and with a triumphant smile, caught my gaze and laughed.

Claire pulled into the lot near the Innovation Center and turned the car off. Everyone sat quietly for a moment, Gray impatient as ever, trying to open the car door several times before Claire clicked the small button next to her, releasing Gray into the dinosaur infested world. Zach slid out after him and then Karen followed ensuite. The door closed behind them and Claire and I looked at each other.

"Are you okay?" She asked me, turning herself slightly in her seat to face me.

"Yeah, I just want them to like me." I told her honestly, no need in hiding the truth. I chuckled to myself and raised one of my arms to scratch at the back of my neck, a nervous tick of mine which Claire has most likely caught onto by now. She looked at me sympathetically and leaned across the middle console to kiss the worry lines off of my forehead, then finishing up with a loving peck on my lips, which made me hum in satisfaction.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about, Owen. You are about to be The Raptor Trainer / Badass. I just run the behind the scenes, but you're the cool guy." I knew she was right in the sense that these boys were gonna love what I had in store for them and that I really did have nothing to worry about. Her hand came down and rubbed my shoulder to release some built up stress before opening her door, winking and jumping out.

When we entered the Innovation Center, Gray was everywhere all at once and no matter how many times his mother asked him to slow down, or stay close, he just wasn't up for listening and had to touch everything at that exact moment.

Claire and Karen had given up on him and just got done telling me that they were going to head up to the lab, to see the new eggs that had been hatched just a week before. They said this in hopes that Gray would hear and come join us, which he did and excitedly ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Zach and I lingered and took our time heading up the stairs and I clapped him on the back again, like I had this morning in the kitchen. I was trying to silently tell him that sure, today was going to be long and mostly surrounded by what Gray wants to do, but it'll be fun and that we have the whole rest of the week to do everything else. He smiled at me and sent me an appreciative look, which I needed.

When we all got upstairs, Gray was forced to stay by us, which was hard for him, but surprisingly he did it without complaining once. We got an official behind the scenes look at all things Jurassic World. Claire and I were here every single day and we knew everything that the lab techs were telling us, but seeing Gray and even Zach's reactions to it all was amazing. It was as if we were learning everything all over again, but for the first time.

The tour was quickly over and we were on our way to the individual exhibits. Claire was trying to leave the T-Rex enclosure for the end because she knew Rexy's feeding schedule, but that didn't stop Gray from asking after every single exhibit if it were time to see the T-Rex yet. He had fed the Brontosaurus' and ridden in the gyrosphere with Zach, but no matter what we did, all Gray wanted was Rexy.

Claire and Karen both gave up, sick of the young buy asking the same question so much, so they took him to the enclosure 45 minutes before her feeding time. Gray was absolutely fine with this and scurried and snaked his way to the front of the discovery window to watch the creature in her _mock_ -natural habitat. I could see his face smushed up against the glass from my spot in the back where I was standing with Zach.

"Wanna go get a soda or something?" I asked Zach, nudging his shoulder. "I promise we'll be back before the feeding. We might not have front row, but we'll be hydrated." I told him, making him actually laugh at me and nod his head, heading to the entrance of the enclosure. I walked over to the bench where Claire and Karen had seated themselves and let them know where we were going. Karen smiled at me and thanked me for including him which made me happy and nod at her simply.

I walked out to join Zach and walked with him over to the concession stand where they served overpriced everything. Zach's hands were buried in his pockets, sending a closed off vibe my way.

"What are you gonna get?" I asked him, trying to engage him again.

"I'll just have whatever you're getting." He responded, not making eye contact. I walked up and ordered two regular sodas and it impressed Zach when I flashed my employee badge and got the drinks for free. We sat under an umbrella table and silently sipped our drinks and I realized Zach was going out of his way to avoid eye contact. I sighed and got up without saying a word, walking away and hoping what I was about to do would work.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Zach spluttered out. I turned around and gave him a faux confused look.

"Oh? Sorry, it seemed like you wanted to be alone. Didn't wanna bother you." I told him with a shrug. He exhaled a shaky breath and sat back down on the bench seat.

"My dad doesn't really do this. When he's not away on business, he's in his office working. He doesn't have time for me and Gray and obviously he doesn't have time for my mom either. That's probably why she's divorcing him. I. Just don't know how to do this." Claire had told me about the divorce and I knew it might come up, but I was never expecting Zach to open up so much.

"I know it sucks, man. My dad left us when I was young, too young to really remember him, but I never really had a father figure in my life either. Mom raised me and she was phenomenal, but it's different. No one there to teach you to shave or how to tie a tie. Trust me, I know the feeling. I didn't mean to like push myself on you or anything," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, which seemed to work from the smile forming on Zach's face, "but you're a cool kid and I don't plan on leaving your aunt anytime soon, so I'm here to stay. Always here if you need me." Zach raised his head and looked at me, tears brimming his eyes, but he wiped them before they could fall. He got up from his spot on the bench and hugged me.

As we walked back to the T-Rex enclosure, closer to feeding time now, Zach seemed happier. He didn't seem as shut off from the world and sad, which made me happy. Zach joined Gray at the front and I found a seat next to Claire and Karen in the back.

"What did you say to him? I haven't seen him look this happy in years."

"Just a little man-to-man talking. I think he needed it." Karen smiled and rubbed my forearm, thanking me.

"Ugh, Claire. How did you get so lucky? Can I borrow him for long weekends maybe?" Her question made me and Claire both laugh. Claire rested her head on my shoulder and let me wrap an arm around her so we could be closer.

"This one is all mine." Claire told her sister, making me blush slightly, content with the way things were in this very moment.

After they finally saw Rexy eat, then went over and watched the Mosasaurus show while captivated everyone. Finally, it was time to head over to the Raptor paddock and meet the girls. The drive was no longer than ten minutes, but I was nervous about how everyone would react to them. They were amazing and majestic, but sometimes could come off as scary and I didn't want to scare Gray at all.

When we pulled up, I jumped out and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I showed them around the offices inside and then to my own office which was small in comparison to their aunt's. Me and Claire shared a knowing look when Karen sat down on the couch and mentioned how comfy it was. Once we were finished up on the inside, I brought them out to the holding center. The girls were all safely harnessed into the metal holders so that everyone could touch them and experience these dangerous, wonderful creatures firsthand. Gray was in awe when I took out a step stool for him and let him pet Delta all on his own, I knew Karen was holding her breath, so I brought her over to Charlie to show her just how safe this all was.

"Aunt Claire! Come feel this! It's crazy cool!" Gray called to Claire making her smile.

"No, it's your turn Gray." She told him, smiling and waving him off. She sees the raptors all the time and knows everything about them. I talk about them more than enough and ever since our relationship started, she's at the paddock way more than normal.

"She's around them all the time." I told the boys, making everyone, including Karen, turn their heads and gawk at me, "She's even fed them before from the catwalk." I informed them, making Karen's jaw drop open and turn to her sister, playfully hitting her in the arm.

"Our Claire? She has _fed_ Velociraptors?" Karen was in shock, but I simply nodded at her.

"Can we feed them?!" Gray asked, more excited than I've seen him all day.

"That's up to your mom, but it is completely safe, just a bit high off the ground." I announced to everyone, all eyes turning to Karen. Even Zach seemed excited about the situation, making it nearly impossible for Karen to say no. When she did say yes, Gray hollered with excitement and jumped off the step stool, informing me that he was ready to feed them.

Karen made the boys hold onto the railing as they walked across the metal catwalk more than 20 feet in the air. I was carrying my regular bucket of rats in one hand and held Claire's hand in the other while we walked over to the normal feeding zone. I made my normal whistle noice and all four of the girls heads turned from their spots below us and they obediently lined up. I showed them how to hold the mouse and what sounds to make. I did, however, hold on the back of Gray's shirt when he stepped up on the railing to get a better look at them. I knew he wasn't going to fall in, but you can't be too careful. I ran through a routine of the normal exercise we do and everyone was stunned. I was proud that the girls had behaved so well and that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as they did.

It was nearing lunchtime, so we planned to head back to the apartment to make food, but once Zach saw the food court, we all heard his stomach growl. We decided to eat on the resort and do anything else we missed after lunch.

"Grady?" I heard my name being called the second we stepped foot in the food court. I spun on my heels, Claire mirroring me, and I came face to face with Vic Hoskins. I inwardly groaned and felt myself square my shoulders.

"What's up, Hoskins?" I asked him, trying not to be rude around Karen and the boys. Hoskins is a pig and always has a nasty or rude comment about things that usually rubbed me the wrong way.

"So it's true? You finally tamed the emotionless beast." My smile immediately done and I dropped Claire's hand, balling my fists so tight that I'm positive my knuckles were white. I felt Claire's hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down, but I couldn't control my rage.

"He's not worth it, Owen. Let's go." Her quiet voice was only a whisper in my ear, but Hoskins probably heard it anyways. I released my fists and shook my hands out, finally getting feeling back as the blood was flowing again. I released a breath and nodded my head, turning around and not saying a word to him.

"Wow, she has you trained, whipped even. Wonder what that's like in the bedroom?" Hoskins didn't even know what hit him, but one second he had a cocky smirk on his face and the next, he was knocked onto the ground by my fist connecting with his face and a steady stream of blood was pouring from his nose.

"Fuck! Grady! You broke my nose!" He screamed, startling some of the nearby guests. I heard Zach and Gray behind me, a ping me up and basically applauding me for what I'd done, but Claire and Karen both looked horrified. I had no clue what to do. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I ruined this for sure, all because I let _Vic Hoskins'_ words get to me. Of all people, I let Hoskins ruin my relationship. I bowed my head and stepped over the still bleeding man and out the door, not looking at Claire once. I found a bench outside of the restaurant and sat, defeated, not sure what to do next.

As soon as I sat down, Claire called my name, making me look up at her tear-filled eyes. She smiled at me and all but ran over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and slamming her body against my own. Our mouths met in a heated fury and her I grabbed onto her waist to support her before gently placing her back on the ground. When we broke away, a wiped a stray tear that was threatening to fall. She smiled tenderly at me and pecked my lips once more.

"That was very chivalrous of you." She stated, detaching herself from me, stepping back and now noticing the small crowd that had started to form.

"I don't know what got over me. I couldn't stand that douchebag saying those things about you, _thinking_ those things about you. He needed to be taught a lesson. I don't know if this is gonna get me in trouble or you…" she cut me off by shaking her head.

"Don't even worry about it. I'll take care of it. Thank you for standing up for us though. It was new for me. I know Karen's going to get a kick out of it." She smiled and laced our fingers together, walking back toward the restaurant and making a show out of stepping over Hoskins who was still laying on the ground cradling his deformed face. We joined Karen and the boys in a booth and ate lunch without any more interruptions, the whole event being pushed aside, not bothering anyone.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by and soon enough we were back at the apartment with grocery bags full of food for the rest of the week. The boys and Claire were already in the apartment, Karen however offered to help me with the rest of the bags. Once in the elevator back up, she started to question me, taking her shot during our first time actually alone.

"So, when did you guys start sating?" Karen asked simply, lowering her bags to the floor.

"Two months ago tomorrow actually." I informed her, smiling to myself and her.

"And what are your intentions with my little sister? Because if you break her heart I'll make sure you live to regret it." Her forwardness threw me off.

"I would never hurt Claire. I fully intend on marrying this woman." I confessed not only to Karen, but to myself. I was shocked by the confession, not because I didn't feel that way, but because I never thought I'd find a woman like Claire. Not only was she smart and dedicated and beautiful, but she was also generous and giving and though not many people know the real Claire Dearing, somehow she decided to trust me and I would never _ever_ do anything that would jeopardize us being together.

"That is lovely to hear, Owen. I've never seen Claire like this before. She's so bubbly and _fun_ around you and I can tell you are the most important entity in her life. I guess this is a welcome." She finished, making me give her a questioning look. "Welcome to the family, Owen." I knew the smile on my face nearly split it in half, but that's what I had been waiting for. I needed that confirmation from her, from anyone really, that me and Claire being together was right. In this moment, I realized that all of the second guessing I had been doing was for nothing. I knew from the very beginning that this was how we were supposed to be. Claire and I against the world, happy and healthy, loving every moment; together.

Dinner came and went and soon enough, Owen was impatiently waiting for some game show to be over so he and Claire could head to bed. After saying goodnight to everyone, they all split up into their separate rooms and called it a night. The second Claire was through the door frame, I had Claire pinned against the door, silencing her shocked gasp with my lips, battling her for dominance. Earlier in the week, Claire had made me promise that we wouldn't have sex while her family was over, but the way she was responding to my touch, I knew where this was headed.

I helped her step out of her pants as we made our way over to the bed, not forgetting to lock the door before stepping away from it. She sat down at the end of the luxurious sized bed and looked at me with such innocence that a fire started forming in the pit of my stomach. If I have learning anything in the short two months our relationship had been transpiring, it was that Claire Dearing is anything but innocent. She softly trapped her lower lip between her teeth as she watched me rid myself of my jeans and my shirt, standing in front of her in only my boxers that were slowly becoming unbearably tight in the nether region.

"We have a rule this week, Mr. Grady." She reminded me, leaning back on her extended arms and enjoying the show.

"Oh, Ms Dearing. Whoever said anything about having sex with you? I was planning on making love tonight." Instead of her completely swooning and letting me have my way with her, she scoffed and rolled her eyes, smile still on her face.

"It's not gonna be that easy, babe." She told me matter-o-factly. I groaned, moving my hand down to adjust the bulge in my boxers. Then I got an idea. I wasn't going to have sex with her, but I was going to blow her mind. I smirked at her and made my way back to her seated self. I pushed her back on the bed and hovered myself over her. Her breathing was labored and her chest was moving quickly against my own. Out of instinct, my hips came down on hers and grinder against her core, making Claire gasp and her jaw to drop. She threw her head back on the pillow, giving me better access to her neck where I decided to pepper kisses up and down her neck, sending chills all over her. I reached my hand around to her back, underneath her shirt, where I unclipped her bra and threw it carelessly behind me.

My large, calloused fingers teased the sensitive, silky smooth skin under her breast while my thumb gave attention to Claire's needy nipple that wanted more than anything to be tended to in these late hours of the night. My hand had subconsciously found its way under the thin fabric of her bedtime shirt and after Claire's "no sex while family is here" rule, she must have known I was just hungry for some attention and good, old-fashioned loving. I slowly started to bring Claire's Hirt up and over her head, leaving her naked in front of me, her leg coming up to hitch around my hip, pulling me in closer.

"I thought sex was a no-no." I said to her.

"I need you to make me feel good." She huffed, frazzled by the pint up emotions. I quickly focused my attention back to her neck and slowly started to kick down her neck to above her breasts. My hands were hard at work, massaging and teasing her breasts, trying my best to give Claire the most pleasure I possibly could. I took one of her nipples into my mouth and rolled the other one between my fingers, turning my hand over and skimming my knuckles across it as well, sending another wave of chills through her body. Claire's hands tangled into my hair, directing me on where she wanted me to go. I pulled back, forcing her to let me free, earning a confused and almost upset look from Claire as well as an utterly sinful moan.

My tongue dragged down her sternum at an agonizingly slow pace, teasing her more than usual. I found myself getting immense pleasure from listening to and feeling the light vibrations of Claire's barely audible moans as I made my way down her body. I let my tongue dip into her navel and I looked up at her, her eyes dark with passion and her hands pulling at the sheets underneath her. I smiled and planted a gentle kiss on the small patch of hair she kept nicely groomed on her lady business, really enjoying how turned on she was.

"Let me take care of you" I said, not breaking eye contact and watching as her head lulled back and came up again, eyes rolling into the back of her head before making contact with mine again. She was panting now, almost animalistic, but attractive nonetheless. Claire nodded her head vigorously and her teeth clamped down on her lower lip full force, probably drawing blood. I grabbed one of her legs and dropped it over my shoulder, letting it rest on my back while I brought the other one up to do the same. She smiled down at me, hands disconnecting from the sheet and lightly scratching my scalp.

She was spread open nice and wide for me and I easily took a broad lick up her slit, tasting her juices and applying pressure when I felt necessary. Her heels instantly dug into my back, trying to pull me closer and her hands in my hair pushed my face closer as well. I brought my hands up to help me keep her spread and also pleasure her more. I started to trace the alphabet over her clit, Claire's moans weren't allowed to get too loud because her family was here, but her hands and feet were pulling me and pushing me to direction me to her favorite spot. I knew when I reached it because I felt her stiffen up. Her toes pointed and dragged up my back before I felt her thigh muscles clench and a stinging in my scalp from where she was pulling forcefully at my hair. My Claire released suddenly on my tongue which I lapped up easily and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand when I was finished cleaning her up.

"Wow…" she panted, not having enough strength to even look up at me yet. I hummed at her in response and kissed her inner thighs while she came down from her high. When she moved up on her forearms, I knew she was recovering and I could continue.

"Oh, we're not done yet." I growled at her, getting a shocked look in return. I gave her a minute to relax before I crawled up the bed and sat down like normal, pulling the pretty sedated Claire onto my lap. She smiled at me and wasted no time in meeting my lips for a fun and frisky make out session. I helped her straddle my lap and when she started to move her hips and rub up against my bulge, I knew she was ready for what I had up my sleeve. I grabbed her hips and moved her so she was straddling only one of my legs - on of my thighs actually - and let her slowly piece together what we were doing.

"Hold on." She stopped me, placing a delicate hand on my chest for space and support. "What do you expect me to do?" She asked me with genuine curiosity.

"Well, if I cant be _in_ you," I started, "then you're gonna get off either way and I want you to be on top." When she still looked confused, I kissed her nose gently before flying her in, "You're gonna ride my thigh, baby." The look on her face was priceless. I knew she was going to panic, but she would love the feeling, I knew it.

"Owen, I don't know how! I've never done this let alone heard of it." I sighed and moved her to the position before looking her deep in the eyes, locking our gaze.

"We don't have to, but it'll feel _so good._ All I ever wanna do is make you feel good, Claire." That must have been the assurance she needed, because she shyly nodded at me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

I grabbed her hips and helped her spread herself on my thigh. When her wet lips opened and I felt her insides slide around on me, I couldn't help but let out a groan from deep within me, ready to bust at any moment. She smiled at me and leaned forward, applying more pressure to certain areas that needed the most attention. I was incredibly hard, painfully so and Claire must have caught on because her hand reached down to cup me over my boxers and squeeze me over the fabric. It was my turn for my eyes to roll into the back of my head and then Claire decided to pick up spread on my leg. She was taking her time, but it must have felt amazing from the reaction she was giving.

Suddenly, she helped me slip out of my boxers completely, letting my member slap against the skin of my lower abdomen and stand at full attention. She stopped her grinding for a minute and looked at me, shocked.

"Fuck, Owen, does it hurt?" I chuckled at her question, shaking my head no, but taking one of her hands and directing it to where i needed her. She started to skillfully pump me in her hand while simultaneously getting herself off on my thigh and she looked like a champ. I felt her start to speed up on me, so I brought my hand down to her clit, rubbing it vigorously while my other hand clawed into the skin of her hip, helping her drag her thrusts out a bit longer. I felt my thigh get considerably wetter as she same, shuffling back slightly and taking me into her mouth. With a few more flicks from her talented wrist, I was cumming in her mouth. She swallowed my load with a smile and crawled up next to me in bed, pulling the covers back and helping us get comfortable.

"And why couldn't we just have sex then?" I asked her, seriously confused.

"I was going to say volume, but I really cant give you an honest answer." She admitted, cuddling up next to me and lacing her legs with mine, dragging her foot up my calf.

"I do have to ask you something." I informed her, getting her to turn her head and look at me. "This morning, you said you were imagining things you couldn't talk about because your family was around." She simply nodded, a small smirk growing on her face. "Care to enlighten me?" I finished, running my fingers through her sweat matted hair.

"This may sound strange, but I've been having these dreams about us… in the future. We are together and probably married."

"Probably?" I ask her. She nods and continues.

"I never get far enough into the dream to tell, but we do have… a child." She stops and looks at me for a reaction. I simply smile and egg her on, wanting to hear the rest. "He's a little boy, looks a lot like you, but also me. We are happy. I cant stop imagining it and it actually doesn't scare me, which is a first. And after seeing you with the boys today, who knew guys who were great with kids would be so attractive." She finished, smiling and rubbing my chest.

"Karen asked me not to break your heart today in the elevator or she'd kill me." I confessed to her, making her bury her face and hide from me.

"Sorry about her." She mumbled.

"I know, she's just looking out for you. Want to know what else I said?" she nodded her head vigorously. "I told her I fully intend on marrying you." Claire brought her head up this time, not breaking eye contact.

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course I meant it, Claire. I couldn't ever find someone who fits better into my life than you do. You're really it for me. This isn't like a proposal now or anything and it probably wont come for a while because that really just isn't me, but I do want you to know I love you and I need you in my life to be happy." Tears welled in her eyes and I wiped them before they had a chance to fall.

"That's one of the reason's I love you… you're big on happy endings." She finished, letting her head hit my arm and urged me to turn and look at her. For the first time in our relationship, I wasn't looking at Claire or a woman I love, she was much more than that. She officially became my future and my forever with just one glance.

 **HI! I hope you enjoyed this one! REVIEW please**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again everyone! Thank you for sticking around with this story, it means a lot to me. I also want to thank** ** _Elise-Collier_** **for her endless support through all of this. As always, REVIEW!**

Owen's POV

The rest of the week went by pretty quickly and Karen, Zach and Gray were leaving before we knew it. It was nice having them here and I even got to take the boys fishing once while Claire and Karen had a "girl's day". Gray was more of a watcher, but Zach seemed to really be into it, which made me even more proud every time he caught something. Sadly, I couldn't just take a whole week off, so I did have to go to work during a couple of the days they were here, but I tried cutting them as short as I could. Claire was even kind enough to stop by each day I did work and let everyone see a training session, which never seemed to grow old to them.

We were scheduled to drop them back off at the docks by 1 o'clock and it was nearing 11 when everyone finally decided to roll out of bed. Claire and Karen, equally as panicked, ran around the apartment trying to make sure everything was packed and tidied up after the weeklong visit. Gray and Zach moaned and groaned when they were forced out of bed at noon, but didn't seem as upset when they saw the burgers I had cooked up for lunch. The five of us ate quickly, then packed the truck before piling in.

"This wasn't exactly how I envisioned our last morning." Claire chuckled from the passenger seat, turning her body so she could face Karen in the back.

"We were up pretty late, no worries though, we had an amazing week. I'm so sad it's over." Karen confessed, her shoulders sagging. I saw Claire's frown and I reached over to grab her hand for support.

"You guys are welcome back _whenever_ you want. I mean it! I want you guys here!" I stopped at a red light and looked over at Claire, whose neck was starting to get blotchy, a telltale sign that she was about to cry.

"You guys better come visit for Christmas! _Both_ of you! I know you were too busy for Thanksgiving, but Christmas is important and we want you to come. I know it's only a couple weeks away, but if you can get the time off, please." Karen was basically begging.

"Please!" Gray and Zach chimed in at the same time, looking at each other and actually laughing. I could tell the two had gotten closer since the start of this trip which was nice to see.

Claire looked over at me and smirked, turning back around and unbuckling her seatbelt when she noticed we arrived at the docks. Everyone piled out of the truck and the boys helped me once again to unload everything from the bed while Claire and Karen stood off to the side talking quietly to each other. I placed the last bag on the ground and turned to hand Karen her own. She grabbed it and placed it next to her, pulling me into a tight hug that I reciprocated immediately.

"Thank you so much." She mumbled into my shirt, just loud enough for me to hear.

"It's really no problem. We had a great week." I told her honestly.

"No, Owen." She stepped back and held me at arms length. "Thank you for being in Claire's life. I was starting to worry about her. She is on of the most amazing people in my life and she just needed someone to crack her open and realize that." Tears started to brim her eyes, threatening to fall.

"Please don't cry, Karen. Claire completes me and you don't have to worry about that ever changing."

"Ugh, I'm so emotional lately. Oh! I also meant what I said back in the truck. If you don't go to your families for Christmas, you are more than welcome to come celebrate with us. No presents. I told Claire, but I don't think she's going to listen, but this was present enough. We are beyond grateful." I smiled at her adoringly.

"I would love to come to yours for Christmas. I'll talk to the boss." I gestures towards Claire, making both of us lightly laugh.

The two of us walked back over to Claire and the boys after our talk. Claire's cheeks were becoming blotchy now too and she looked as if she would sob at any second. I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close to me, rubbing her upper arm in a comforting manner. She turned and smiled up at me in appreciation, settling into my embrace.

Gray ran up to us, Zach right on his heels. The younger boy wrapped his arms around both of us at once, squeezing as tight as he could. I ruffled his hair when he stepped back and I saw tears running down his face. Claire broke off from me and brought him back in for a hug.

"We will see you so soon, Gray!" She told him confidently. "This will _not_ be like last time. I'm here to stay, just had to work through some things." She wiped a couple of his free falling tears before he could wipe the rest away with the back of his hand.

"Christmas can't come soon enough." He mumbled.

Now it was Zach's turn to say goodbye. He walked slowly up to us, hands in his pockets, this time there was a smile on his face though. He hugged Claire, almost taller than her and only seventeen. I heard her sniffle against the older boys shirt, making him hug her tighter before breaking off.

"Thank you so much for letting us come. Gray isn't gonna shut up about this like, ever." We all laughed at the truth behind his statement.

"You're always welcome here." Claire told him back, me nodding behind her. Then Zach turned to me and I stretched out a hand for him to shake. He looked at it once, then back up to my face. He gave me a full smile and went in for a hug instead. I wrapped my arms around him and we clapped each other on the back, in a manly way of course.

"Uh… Thanks for everything, Owen. It really does mean a lot. I really needed to talk to someone." I felt my throat constrict. I wished I had someone who understood what I was going through when I was his age and I was over the moon that I could be that rock for him now.

"Give me your phone." I told him, reaching my hand out. He gave me a questioning look, but did what he was told. I added my phone number and saved it before handing it back to him. "I put my phone number in. Don't be afraid to call or text me whenever. I meant it when I said I'm always here to listen, regardless of what happens." He smiled at me and nodded before stepping back and joining the rest of his family.

We watched as they started to walk toward the ramp to get on the ferry. At one point, Gray turned around and waved enthusiastically at the two of us.

"Bye Aunt Claire! Bye Uncle Owen!" He screamed, jumping up and down before Zach grabbed his arm and tugged him along. I felt myself gasp and blink quickly a few times just to make sure that I had actually been awake and not dreaming. I felt Claire's grasp on my arm tighten and her head hit my shoulder. We stood and watched the ferry until it was nothing but a speck on the water. I looked around and noticed that no one was around us anymore, so I gently tugged on Claire's arm and led her back to the truck. Once we got inside, we sat in silence for a moment, taking in everything that just happened.

"Uncle Owen." I said aloud once, liking how it sounded.

"Uncle Owen." Claire repeated, turning and facing me with a smile on her face. "Are you okay with that?" She asked me, making me scoff almost immediately.

"God, of course I'm okay with it. This is crazy." I couldn't believe that in a matter of a week, I have these three extra people in my life that I care about so deeply. "So where are we headed now?" I asked her, starting my engine and putting the truck into drive.

"Home." She said simply, making my heart all but jump through my chest. As lovely as it was, I felt my mood changing dramatically. I have spent a whole week with this woman and would assume she finally wants to be alone for a little while after having so many people at her place. I hummed in response and made my way to hers. When we arrived, I didn't park, but just pulled up to the curb closest to the main entrance and unlocked the door. She turned and quickly looked at me, panic on her face.

"You're not coming in?" She asked, flustered.

"I do have to head to my house. I haven't been there much this week and just wanna like clear out my fridge." I couldn't think of a better excuse than that? Not that I didn't wanna spend the rest of the day with Claire, but I didn't want to over crowd her either. She nodded slowly at me, opening the door at the same pace and hopping out.

"I'm guessing I won't be seeing you for dinner either?" She asked, leaning against the side of the truck.

"You've had people at your place all week, I thought I'd give you some alone time. Ya know, to catch up on work and stuff." She looked disappointed, but nodded in response, quickly turning into professional Claire and straightening herself up.

"Alright then, Owen. I guess I'll see you when I see you." And with that, she spun on her heels and strutted toward the building. I waited until she walked through the doors to leave, liking to know that she made it safely into her building before I headed to the seclusion of the bungalow.

I was happy to see that everything was exactly how I had left it, not expecting anything different, but it was reassuring. Most of my food in my fridge had consisted of fruits and vegetables and meats, so I actually did have to clean it out almost completely. After that, I grabbed my fishing poles and a cooler and headed down to the lake to catch myself some dinner, not wanting to head back into town to get food.

While I was fishing, it gave me plenty of time to think. I thought about everything under the sun, but mostly about Claire. Her family had been so amazing and welcoming and Karen telling me, oh so many times, that she approved of us being together also made me feel good, but it also made me think about my family. My mom is gone and my brother has his own life and obviously my dad is out of the picture. I was so happy this past week and being completely alone now made my mood change fluctuate. I caught a few fish and decided to only keep two, heading back up to the house to cook them and get ready for bed.

After I showered, I hopped in bed and couldn't believe how lonely I felt. Claire wasn't there to hold against my body or talk to when I couldn't sleep. Her light breathing that _sometimes_ turned into light snoring, even though I'd never tell her that, was absent from my night as well and I just laid there feeling empty inside. I tossed and turned for the better part of an hour, but when I knew sleep wouldn't come, I grabbed my phone and FaceTimed Claire.

She picked up almost immediately and when I saw her face appear on my screen, reading glasses and all, I felt whole again. No one said anything for a minute, but she was situating herself in bed so she was sitting up and no double chins were showing. Finally she sighed and took her glasses off, moving slightly out of frame to place them on her bedside table.

"Hi honey." I started, regret thick in my voice.

"Owen." She wasn't gonna give into me that easily.

"Please don't be mad at me. I miss you."

"Yeah!" She scoffed, "I miss you too. You basically dropped me off and ran. That didn't feel to good." I loved that she was being honest with her feelings and not making me guess, even though I knew exactly what I had done.

"I was overwhelmed." Simple, but dumb and I knew it.

"With my family? Were they too much for you?"

"No, no, no. I loved your family. Love them. They're great and they were so welcoming and I just… ugh. I don't know. I just love you and I wish my family situation wasn't so shitty because I want everyone to know you're mine and you're literally the only family I have Claire." She was silent, taking in everything I had just told her. She finally looked me in the eyes, for the first time since the call started and a small smile started to make its way onto her face.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes." She stated simply, moving to get out of bed.

"It's late, are you tired? I could come pick you up. I don't want you to get hurt because I can't sleep alone anymore."

"Who said it was only you? I was about two minutes away from calling you." We both smiled and just stared at each other for a second.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few. Please drive safe, baby."

"I promise I will. I love you."

"I love you too." I finished before hanging up and plugging my phone back in. I got up and turned my porch lights on again, so it wouldn't be dark when she pulled in. I poured some water into the tea kettle and started the stove, just in case she wanted some when she arrived.

Twenty minutes felt like forever, but when I heard the shifting gravel as she turning into her spot, I sprang from the couch and met her at the door, opening it for her and kissing her soundly on the lips. Claire didn't stop in the kitchen like normal for tea, so I turned the kettle off, following her as she went straight to the bedroom. She kicked her slippers off on her side and lifted the covers, cocooning them around her. I was stood in the doorway, smiling endearingly at her, watching her feel so normal and natural here.

"You gonna join me or what?" She asked, causing me to laughed and nod my head, shuffling my feet across the floor and hopping in next to her. I pulled her in immediately, missing the feeling of her in my arms, her head resting on my chest. This was full contentment. Claire was my happy place and my home. I couldn't bare not having her with me every night any longer.

"You still up?" I asked, moving my arm gently to shake her.

"Yeah, we just laid down." She laughed at me, but moved away slightly to rest her head on her arm so we were face to face.

"My day was shit without you." I stated simply, moving my hand down to rub up and down her thigh lovingly and slightly suggestively.

"I did do a lot of work, but mine was also not as good as it could have been."

"Move in." I blurted out the second she finished her sentence. She eyes widened, but quickly went back to normal. The hand she wasn't leaning on came up to rest on my cheek, brushing over my scruff in a loving way.

"I would love to, honey, but I can't be this far from work. My apartment is no more than five minutes and Sunrio is easily a half an hour." We both sighed in unison. I thought for a moment.

"I don't wanna invite myself, but I'd give this up for you." Her eyebrows knitted together.

"I wouldn't want you to give this all up for me…" I sighed exasperatedly when she said this and my grip on her thigh I was teasing tightened slightly as I pulled her in closer.

"You are my everything Claire. It wouldn't be so much a sacrifice as a step toward our future, if you'll have me of course." Claire's smile widened, her teeth nearly blinding me. She pulled my face down to hers and she peppered kisses all over. My hand moved up her thigh to her ass, squeezing and teasing her before flipping us so she was trapped underneath me. Her smile never left her face as I move to remove the tiny sleep shorts she is wearing. I feel her hands move around my waist and slip into the back of my boxers, her hands felt like fire on my bare skin. She used her newfound leverage to pull me in closer to her. Sure, we have played around this whole week, but the whole 'no sex while the family is here' rule stayed true throughout. We had gotten each other off every single night, but I needed her now.

"Claire, I need you." My hot breath spread over the skin under her ear, goosebumps waking in its path that I soothed down with a sloppy lick down her neck. I felt her squirm under me and her breathing was becoming ragged when I reached down to remove her shirt, leaving her in only her panties under me. I felt her hand grab my jaw and bring it up from its place near her neck and she kissed my lips feverishly, our tongues battling for dominance. I brought my hands down to her hips, ready to remove her last article of clothing, but Claire's hands rushed to the hem of my boxers, teasing the waistband and snapping it back once, making me wince and hiss at the feeling. Her bare touch on my skin burned in the best way possible. It consumed my senses and made me feel things I had never felt before. Her nimble fingers dipped into my boxers, brushing over member and spreading the precum that was glistening on my tip, down the rest of my shaft.

"Fuck… Baby, I need to be in you." I whined into her ear. I could feel her satisfied grin against the skin of my bicep right before her teeth gently took it as prisoner. I moaned this time, feeling her jolt under me from the sound. Her pace on me started the quicken and she was pumping me just how I liked it. I couldn't take it anymore and pulled back from her, making her look up at me in confusion. I kissed the worry lines off of her forehead and moved her hand from my member onto the waistband itself, pulling my boxers off with her hand and pushing them down under the comforter that was enveloping our lower halves.

"Are you gonna give me what I want?" Claire asked me, helping me as I shimmied her soaked through lace panties down her silky legs. She spread her legs around me so that I could comfortably slide into her when the time came. My hand was lightly scratching the skin on her calves from their new position of being hitched around my hip and I leaned down to kiss her once more before questioning her.

"And what exactly do you want m'lady?" I kissed her again.

"All of you. All the time." She practically moaned into my mouth. My eyes rolled back when I felt her hips flex forward and my tip felt how drenched she was.

"You already have me, baby." I responded, moving my hips froward this time to tease her. The moan that left Claire's lips was animalistic and hotter than anything I had ever heard in my life.

"Not all the time though." She mumbled, her hands coming up to grab onto my upper arms, squeezing them to prevent herself from thrusting upward. We were teasing each other in the most delicious way and were both enjoying every second of it.

"It's just you and me in this. I love you, you love me. We have this crazy hot connection. I wanna move into your place with you. Can't wait to do this every. single. night." Just as I was finishing my sentence, I buried myself into her. Her grip on my arms tightened even more and her nails digging in slightly. Her insides contracted and her walls started to clench as I picked up speed and pulled out almost all the way before burying myself again. Her lips were everywhere on me. My neck was definitely going to have a mark on it in the morning and the scratches she was leaving on my back were fueling something in me that I hadn't ever felt. This is what making love really was. We were working in unison to please the other person rather than worry about our own pleasure.

"Baby, I'm really close." She whimpered, willing me to keep going when my thrusts started to falter. She grabbed onto my hair and pulled us face to face, noses and foreheads touching, as I continued to thrust. I grabbed her leg and pulled it up higher on my hip so I could reach even farther into her as her eyes rolled back into her head and her mouth opened wide and inaudible noises came rushing out. She pushed the back of my head forward so our lips would mash together and her walls tightened around me as she snapped. I came crashing down quickly after her, spilled into her and filling her up completely, just how she likes it.

I collapsed on top of her, moving myself so I wouldn't crush her with my weight. My hair was matted to my forehead and she played with the ends of it that had started to curl. Her smile was infectious and her eyes were drooping, telling me that she was going to fall asleep at any moment. Her legs slid down to the mattress and it took everything in me to not start thrusting again. She hummed out in satisfaction, seemingly too sedated for Round 2. It was quiet for a few moments before I felt her pepper kisses on my jaw which surprised me.

"Could you… uhm… keep going? I still feel this _need_ in me, but I'm too tired to move. Just go slow." Where had she been all my life? I slowly, but surely thrusted into Claire again, making her head dramatically smack against the pillow below her. "Fuck." She whispered out, bringing her hands to lightly trace against my sides. I felt tingly all over and felt this dying need to give Claire what she wanted.

"You're so tight, honey." I whispered into her ear, teasing her earlobe with me teeth as I pulled it back once and let it go. She hummed to let me know that she knew. My thrusts stayed at the same, agonizingly slow pace the whole time, because that's what she asked for and pretty quickly, she gasped when I hit her sweet spot and she came tumbling down again. It took me a few more deep thrusts before she was being filled to the brim again, a bit of our combined spunk seeping out of her and dripping onto the sheets below us. "Shit you feel so good around me."

"I feel so full." She exhaled, content and basically asleep. I flipped us over, not removing myself quiet yet, knowing she liked the feeling of me inside her for a little bit afterwards. When I moved to get up and get a washcloth to help her clean herself, she kept me close to her.

"Just leave it tonight." She told me, making me gape at her. Claire was always very clingy and cuddly after sex, but we always cleaned up. It was an unspoken rule.

"Are you sure? I can be right back." I mumbled into her ear.

"It just feels so good. I want to keep it in me for tonight." I could've died and went to heaven at this point.

Claire and I slept hard for the whole night and the next morning we both returned to work. We decided that I could move in whenever and there was no rush, but my bungalow was packed up within the next three days and all of my stuff was in her apartment by the end of the week. Our weeks started to slowly morph into one and before we knew it, it was Christmas and we were boarding our plane to visit Karen and the boys. Claire spoiled me and surprised me with those seats that turn into beds and have dividers. It made it pretty easy for us to join the Mile High Club… twice.

When we pulled up to the house, the boys greeted us anxiously at the door and grabbed our bags, bringing them to the room we would be staying in for the week. We walked into the foyer, hand in hand and I helped Claire take her coat off. We were led into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to kiss under their mistletoe Karen had hung up.

"You're here!" She hollered from the top of the stairs. Karen's arms were around us before we could even blink and we were immediately being scolded for bringing the boys gifts. Before we realized what was happening, we were being taken away and given the tour of the house, last stop being our room for the next three days.

"Finally alone again." Claire teased when I closed the door behind us.

"I love your family, but they are energetic." I said, pulling her in for a hug, dancing with her slowly to a song that was playing in my head.

"Karen asked me about kids when we got here." Claire confessed. I hadn't understood what she meant.

"What about the kids?" I asked her.

"Not _the_ kids, _our_ kids." I stopped dancing and looked down at her stunned. My heart was hammering in my chest and my hand came down to her stomach.

"Are you…?" She chuckled lightly and kissed me on the lips, moving my hand away from her belly.

"No, silly. I would've told you first. I think I brought up babies the last time I called her." I was shocked. I didn't think Claire even wanted kids, let alone was thinking about them.

"What about babies?" I asked.

"Nothing really, I was going to talk to you about it soon. Would it be horrible of me to be thinking about them?"

"Not at all, sweetheart. I want to have babies with you and only you. I can imagine a little Claire with red hair and freckles running around. Whenever you want to start trying, I'm all in." Claire pulled her head off of my chest and stared at me.

"Really? Even though we aren't married?" I scoffed and shook my head.

"That literally wouldn't change anything. I love you and I don't need a stupid piece of paper to tell me that. I understand if you want to, but I don't need it." Claire nodded and started to sway again.

"I would like to get married. Probably after kids though. I don't really care much, but I like the thought that we are legally bound to each other forever. It makes it feel more real." She kissed me, "And if you have a ring on," her fingers weaved in between mine and kissed my ring finger, "all the other girls will know you're taken." She teased. I laughed a hardy laugh that shook me and her.

"Karen's going to go bananas when I tell her all of this." I hummed and felt the velvet box burning a hole in my pocket.

"I bet she'll go even crazier when you tell her you're engaged." Claire stopped dead in her tracks, her face looking nervous and excited. I dropped to my knee and fished around in my pocket for the ring. "I know we literally _just_ said we'd wait to get married, but that's okay, we'll be one of those couples who have a long engagement. I love you and I want everyone to know it. I want you to be with me forever and I want to grow old with you and just want you. No, I need you. You changed me from a lost boy into a man who loves a woman more than he ever though humanly possible. So, Claire Dearing, even though I'm just rambling and none of this probably makes any sense, will you make me that happiest man alive and spend the rest of your life by my side?" Tears were streaming down her face and she nodded her head enthusiastically before launching herself into my arms and kissing me passionately. I placed her back on the ground quickly and opened the small, velvet box infringed of her. Her hand immediately rose to cover her mouth and she gasped. I fished the small diamond band out of the box and slid it effortlessly onto her finger.

"Owen… it's beautiful." She gushed, rotating her hand and watching it sparkly in the light.

"You haven't even said yes yet." I teased, smiling down at her lovingly.

"God, of course I'll marry you, baby." At her words, I picked her up and spun her around, kissing her with every emotion I was feeling.

"I love you, Claire Dearing."

"Soon to be Grady." She corrected me, making my heart swell and effectively ending the conversation as I picked her up and dropped her down onto the bed

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	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone! I love this chapter and cant wait for you all to read it as well! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Also, please review! They help me find the inspiration to write more!**

Christmas flew by and we were on a plane back to Isla Nublar before we knew it. The week off had been phenomenal and everyone was excited about our engagement, Karen in particular. We tallied on another point for the Mile High Club on our way home. I praised Claire for the skirt she decided to wear and how easy she made it for me to sink into her slick folds without being caught by the passengers and stewardesses around us. First class seats were the only way we were traveling from now on if this was the type of flying experience we received.

When the plane touched down, we hurried to the baggage claim and boarded the ferry where Zara was patiently waiting for us. She squealed like a schoolgirl when we told her the news of our engagement and spent the whole drive back to the apartment practically planning our whole wedding. We didn't have the hearts to tell her we weren't planning on tying the knot anytime soon, but we let her talk our ears off until we got home anyways.

The second the door closed behind us, we both exhaled a sigh of relief. Family is amazing to hang out with and the holiday made it even more special, but alone time sounded so nice. We have one more day off before we start back at work and as much as I was looking forward to seeing my girls again, I wished it could be just the two of us all the time. Not that Claire and I don't find time to be together, but when it's just the two of us, it's magical.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower." I told her, bringing both of our bags into our bedroom and plopping them down on the bed. Claire hummed in response, telling me she heard me, but stayed in the kitchen, presumably making food. We took a red eye flight from Karen's house because the boys didn't want us to leave, but now its 7 o'clock in the morning and we are exhausted. Recovery day was about to be in full swing.

I turned the faucet on in the shower and let the water heat up as I stripped out of my clothes and grabbed a plushy towel from the linen closet. I placed it on the toilet and stepped into the steamy shower, moaning when the hot water cascaded down my back, easing the muscles and relaxing me. I went to wash my body, but realized all of our toiletries were in our luggage and I groaned in disappointment.

"Claire!" I hollered, hoping she could hear me from the kitchen. "Babe!" I tried again after a moment of silence. I heard the bathroom door creak open and I wiped the steam off of the glass door to see her face. She was smiling at me, not missing her opportunity to check me out.

"What's up, honey?" she asked when she was done taking a look over my body, biting her bottom lip after wetting it with her tongue. I closed my eyes for a moment to focus on the task at hand, opening them again and smirking when I noticed her stepping into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"Could you grab the wash from my bag?" I asked her, hands running through my wet hair, pushing it out of my eyes. She nodded subtly and retreated from the room, leaving the door open. I turned back to the water and let the droplets rush down my body, loving the rainfall shower head Claire had. When I heard her come back into the room, I didn't bother to open my eyes, assuming she was just leaving them on the floor.

"Thank you, sweetheart." I said at a bit of a louder level to compete with the sound of the faucet. When she didn't respond, I found it odd and opened one eye, but was stopped from turning when I felt Claire's arms snake around my waist, pulling me flush against her still-dry torso. Her breasts brushed against my back and I felt her nipples harden under the touch. Her hands were all over my chest, brushing through my chest hair and following my happy trail down, stopping occasionally to tease and caress my tender skin.

"Hmm…" I started, "Full of surprises are we, Miss Dearing?" I teased her. I felt her smile into my back and leave a few butterfly kisses up my spine and on my neck. Her hands continued their journey down my front side and stopped just above where I wanted her most.

"Are you dirty, baby?" She asked me, nipping at my skin now, making my toes tingle and my cock stir. I hummed in response, sucking in a sharp breath when I felt her hand finally land on my manhood. She slowly started to pump me, setting a teasing pace as my head fell back onto her shoulder and I moaned aloud. The hand that wasn't wrapped around me was still running up and down my body, throwing my senses into overdrive and making it harder for me to breathe.

"Claire, if you don't stop, I'm gonna cum." I whispered, my chest starting to heave and my hand came down to cover hers, stopping her movements.

"Isn't that the point, Owen?" She teased, spinning me around and swatting my hand that was covering hers. She sunk to her knees and winced when she hit the tile floor, her knees more than likely having bruises on them for the next week. I was about to protest, but was immediately silenced when I felt her pouty lips wrap around me. I leaned against the back wall of the shower for support and so she wouldn't be drowning while sucking me off. I grabbed her hair that was clinging to her face and pulled it into a sloppy pony tail to get it out of her way. She hummed in appreciation, sending vibrations straight to the pit of my stomach and making me release a loud moan.

She pulled back, looking up at me and giving me the most breathtaking view in the world. Her doe eyes innocently looking up at me with a sly grin as her hand pumps me while she takes a minute to regain her composure. Claire then licked a broad patch of skin from my base to my tip, feeling her show extra love to the vein on the underside that she knows makes my toes curl. I gasp and pull gently at her hair, making her moan even more, a hunger in her eyes that I knew meant business. She kitten licked my tip, tasting the precum that I knew must have dribbled out by now and placed a loving peck on it before taking as much of me into her sweet mouth as she could. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and flew back, hitting the shower wall with force, but I couldn't focus on the pain for long. The part of me she couldn't fit into her mouth was being pumped and twisted to match the pattern she was setting. Her eyes looked up at mine again, not breaking eye contact once while she bobbed her head up and down along my member, surprising me by _gently_ grazing her teeth along my shaft before pulling back for air again.

"Babe." I panted, not sure what I wanted from her, but knowing I wasn't going to last much longer. She ignored me when I tried to tug on her hair and bring her to her feet, looking me dead in the eyes before taking all of me in her mouth. Her nose was buried in my happy trail and I felt her exhale from her nose as her eyes started to water, sending shockwaves of pleasure throughout my whole entire body. "Claire!" I all but screamed out when I felt her swallow around me, constricting me tighter than I've ever felt before. This was it. I came hard in her mouth, which she happily consumed and pulled back licking her lips. Her breathing was shallow and a naughty mixture of her saliva and my semen was strung between my cock and her mouth.

"Fuck, Claire." I panted, helping her up to her feet and pulling her to me. Her breathing was still regulating, but she was making lovey eyes at me, making my insides flutter. "You've been holding out on me." I joked, kissing her lips and immediately feeling the need to be inside of her when I tasted myself on her lips.

"I've never…" she started, "I don't know where that came from." She laughed, burying her head in my chest. I chuckled and switched places with her, pinning her against the wall and starting my attack on her neck. I licked a strip of salty skin from her ear to her clavicle before nipping the heated, sensitive skin there. Her heart was racing, but she tried to push me off of her. Confused, I stepped back and stared at her.

"This was about you. A thank you for putting up with my family for the week… again." She chuckled, finally regaining her regular breathing pattern. I chuckled back at her and shook my head.

"As if. You think you can go down on me like that and not expect me to get you off after? What kind of man would I be if I didn't satisfy my girl?" She bit her lip again, smiling coyly up at me before pecking my lips one more time, nodding her head.

I grabbed her hip and pulled my body to her again, pinning her to the same wall I was just leaned up against. I took her bottom lip into my own, teasing it the same way she would before pulling it and letting it go. Her mouth was open slightly, eyes dark with anticipation and need. I brought my free hand down and parted her lower lips, feeling the heat radiating from her slick folds. I dropped my head to her neck and planted kisses all over, nipping and sucking as I found fit. My hand on her hip came up to play with her nipple, teasing and pulling at it while she brought her hands up to rest on my shoulders and play with my hair, massaging my scalp and making my member stir once again.

I slipped one finger into her with no trouble at all. She was ready for me and I was more than ready to take her. She was panting in my ear, her hot breath sending goosebumps all over my body. I inserted another finger and started to slowly pump them, creating a rhythm she seemed to enjoy. Her grip on my hair tightened as I brought my mouth down to her other nipple, taking it in between my teeth before leaving hot kisses down her stomach. I stopped at her navel, dipping my tongue in before hitting my knees and bringing one of her legs over my shoulder so I could get a better view. Her hands were still in my hair, but now she was pushing me where she wanted me most.

"Patience." I mumbled against her inner thigh, nipping the sensitive skin there and removing my fingers from within her. Claire huffed in response, looking down at me in frustration and actually letting out a whine before giving up and bringing her hands from my hair to her breasts. "No way." I told her simply, swatting her hands away and grabbing her left one, kissing the engagement ring that will forever be living there now. I looked her straight in the eyes as I took my first lick up her slit. I moaned triumphantly as her legs shook and the leg she was supporting herself on trembled.

"Owennn…" she moaned, bringing her hands back to my hair while I started my feast. I lapped up all of her juices before starting my attack on her clit. I wrapped my lips around it and hummed, knowing how much she loved the vibrations there. The noises she was making were making me hard again and I just needed to be inside of her. I carefully grazed my teeth on her swollen bud, my name tumbling out of her mouth along with a select few choice words as well. I took her leg off of my shoulder and stood, our eyes not leaving the others.

"Jesus Christ. Best shower ever." She panted, but gasped when my hand went back to her clit. She brought her hand to my wrist to move it away, but I stood my ground, something inside of me snapping and needing to please this woman more. "I'm too sensitive." Claire whimpered, peppering kisses along my shoulders, not missing a single scar on my chest.

"I need to be in you, baby." I told her solemnly. After what felt like a lifetime, she removed her hand from my wrist and nodded her head at me, still leaving kisses all over my chest.

"Just be gentle." She requested, making me chuckle, but I nodded my head in agreement. My fingers circled her clit a couple of times, feeling her legs jolt every time I applied pressure. I left a butterfly kiss on her nose before I pumped myself a few times and placed my member at her entrance. Our noses touched and we made eye contact as I waited for her to nod her head in approval before I thrusted into her. The whine that left her lips melted me and sent tingles from my head to my toes. I caught her lips with my own and we battled for dominance while we met each others thrusts. Her tongue brushed over mine and she pulled back to nibble on my lower lip, sending me to another planet. Claire's hands were scratching up and down my back, pulling me as close to her as I could possibly be when I thrusted extra deep into her and hit her most pleasurable spot. She pulled her face away from mine and gasped, bringing a leg up and moaning when I got deeper and deeper with each stroke.

"Claire…" I started, the Claire in front of me, forehead against mine, arms wrapped around my neck and breath intoxicating my senses, bringing me closer to the edge than I originally thought, "Baby, I'm so close." Claire couldn't find words, so she simply nodded and brought her other leg up, jumping into my arms. I pushed her against the wall and found myself basically pounding into her, losing myself in this amazing woman. She was panting heavily in my ear, encouraging me to get us both to our breaking points.

"Owen! Yes, baby. Right there, I'm so so _so_ close." I brought my hand down to her clit and rubbed it roughly again, making her clench around me and explode. I came a few seconds after her, releasing and filling her up. We stayed connected for a minute before I was too tired to hold her anymore, so I slid open the sliding glass door and carried her through the bathroom to the bedroom.

"Well clean the sheets tomorrow." I mumbled, still inside her, before lifting the covers up and laying us down. Claire giggled at me, finding it funny that I knew she would worry about the sheets. She shuffled herself around, forcing us apart, making us both sigh before she snuggled back into my side and let a blanket of slumber cascade around the both of us.

I woke up first and checked the clock. It was nearly 8 o'clock at night which meant we slept for about twelve hours. Claire was dead asleep next to me, heavy breaths left her mouth and her face was smushed against the sheets. I turned myself to look at her and tucked a piece of hair that was in front of her eyes behind her ear. She started to stir and I held my breath, not wanting to be her reason for waking up even though I knew I was.

Claire was startled, but relaxed immediately when she saw my face. The sheet imprints on her cheek made me chuckle and I squirmed my way closer to her to kiss them. She smiled back at me and flipped around to check the clock, audibly groaning when she saw the time.

"Okay, I love the boys, but they are never talking us into taking a red eye flights again." She grumbled, turning back around and snuggling into her comforter. I was going to pull her into my embrace, but her stomach grumbled and I remembered just how hungry I was too.

"I'm gonna make some food!" I told her, hopping out of bed, embracing my naked glory and walking off into the kitchen.

"Hey! Put some clothes on, Mister!" She shouted from her place in bed, making me laugh, but ignore her comment. I was going to make us sandwiches because I was really just too hungry to care. When Claire finally waltzed into the kitchen, she had the comforter wrapped around her, dragging on the wood floor behind her like the train of a wedding dress. My heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"I really did a number on your back." She stated, running her fingers along the stinging scratch marks she left during her moments of ecstasy. I hummed in response, but secretly liked that she left her mark and that I was able to make her lose control so immensely. "Did you save anything for me?" She asked, changing the subject and opening her arms, wrapping the comforter around me as well, her naked front pinned up against my equally as naked back. I hummed, moving a plate to the side of me to show her I made her a sandwich already. She squealed and released me, wrapping the blanket back around only herself and all but attacking her food.

"Now I'm cold and the cold doesn't do well on this little guy." I gestured to my flaccid manhood, looking smaller then ever now that I wasn't turned on and was currently freezing. She giggled at my choice of words and I grumbled as I cupped myself and padded back into the bedroom to find something to cover me up with.

"I would have to disagree, honey." She told me when I came walking back into the kitchen with just a pair of shorts on and one of my tee shirts in hand for her to put on. I grabbed the blanket and replaced it with the shirt, making her smile up at me and peck my lips. I grabbed both of the plates and placed them on the floor, wrapping us in the blanket together and eating our odd dinner much lower than usual.

"What are you disagreeing with now?" I asked her sarcastically. She lightly pushed her shoulder onto my shoulder in a playful manner.

"'Little guy' isn't the phrase I would use to describe you." She insisted, eyeing me through my shorts. I smirked at her and kissed her head, leaning into her embrace as we both finished off our sandwiches against the island cabinets.

"Insatiable" I mumbled, making us both laugh together. I brought my hand down to her knee, making her wince when I remember how hard she hit the shower floor. I kissed my palm and placed it back on her knee, doing it again for the other knee. Claire's hand went to my shoulder and started to rub it lovingly and her eyes were shimmering at me. I then stood up and collected our dishes, putting away the food I had taken out to make our dinner and collected Claire in my arms as well.

"Wish we didn't have to go back to work on Monday." I told her honestly, quite enjoying the bubble we were in. She nodded along with me, taking my hand and silently dancing in the kitchen. I love when we do this. It makes me feel as if we are the only two people in the whole world and everything is going to be alright. Just me and Claire, dancing quietly, in sync, to a song playing in both of our heads. I could easily spend the rest of my life like this.

We broke off after a few minutes. Claire needed to unpack before we slept again because I knew it was driving her crazy. I know it was my doing, but seeing Claire walking around our apartment in nothing but my tee shirt was driving me nuts. My faded, army green NAVY shirt was loose on her and came down past her butt, but when she did little things like stretch her arms above her head, which I'm guessing she was doing on purpose, her cheeks would stick out just barely and the content sigh that followed did bad things to me. I couldn't get enough of her and no matter how many times we were together, I still needed more of her. The moments she doesn't notice me staring are the ones I cherish the most.

When we both return to work, we will be much busier and there will be less time for just the two of us, but peak season is ending soon which means less vigorous days. Ever since I punches Hoskins in the face and he broke his nose, he has been going easy on me. Not sure if it'd because he genuinely feels bad for what he said, or he may be scared if he says the wrong thing I'll break his nose again, but it has made my job a hell of a lot easier.

The next day comes and goes just as quickly as I thought and me and Claire are saying goodbye to each other in the parking lot. My morning goes smoothly and the girls seemed to be more eager than ever to train. I retreated to my office after feeding time to finish up some paper work I knew would cause Claire some trouble if I didn't hand in on time. Right as I finished, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

 **C: Dinner?**

 **O: Yes please.**

 **C: Obviously, but tell me what you want.**

 **O: Sassy. Burgers?**

 **C: Sorry, rough day. We just had burgers.**

 **O: I'm sorry, love. We can have anything you want then.**

 **C: Please just make a decision. I have a meeting now. I'll text you after.**

I was shocked by her shortness. I knew she'd be stressed today because of all of the meetings she had, but usually she doesn't take them out on me. I scrolled through my contacts and found Zara's number, dialing it quickly.

"Zara." She answered immediately.

"Hey Z." I responded.

"Owen! Hey. What can I do for you?" She asked. She was always very helpful.

"Does Claire have lunch plans today?"

"Uhm… lemme check… Yes! She has a meeting with Verizon Wireless and then immediately after she has to be at the T-Rex enclosure to check up on Rexy. She had the sniffles last week."

"Damn… When will she be eating?" I hate when she has says like this.

"Probably in the car on her way to Rexy." Zara responded honestly. I sighed and thought for a minute.

"Okay, I'm gonna be there in like twenty minutes. Don't tell her."

"I don't know Owen, she's really busy today."

"I'm not gonna stay long, but I'm coming." Zara and I said goodbye and I was on my way to the market. I picked up a nice bouquet of flowers and Claire's favorite wine for at home later and sped off to her office. When I reached the elevator, I hopped in with my bouquet of flowers in tow. I stepped off the elevator and tried my best to fix my hair, hearing the women in the room all whisper and murmur to one another. I smiled at them politely and rushed off to Claire's office. Zara was at her desk in front of Claire's door eyeballing me as I hurried over.

"Is she in there?" I asked quietly, just in case.

"Yes, she's on a business call. It'll be over any second. I'll send you in then." I nodded and waiting silently. When the call was over, Zara motioned for me to enter. Claire's back was turned to the door and she was seated on her desk, phone to her ear. She sounded panicked, anxious almost when the person she was trying to call wasn't answering.

"Where the hell is he?" I heard her mumble, running her fingers through her hair. She sounded like she was going to cry and my heart skipped a beat. I closed the door silently behind me and stepped in, feeling my phone buzzing in my pocket.

"Claire?" I started, not wanting to scare her. She turned around in a snap and the tears that were brimming in her eyes disappeared and a smile started to form on her lips. Her eyes went from mine to the flowers and back a few times before she realized what was happening and covered her mouth.

"Are these… for me?" Her voice innocently asked. I nodded and smiled at her before approaching her and walking around her desk to settle in between her legs. She grabbed the flowers from me and smelled them, smiling to herself and then up at me with love in her eyes. "You didn't have to, honey. I feel so bad for being short with you earlier. This new asset is driving me insane and I don't know what to do. Oh, by the way," she started, changing topics quickly, "Masrani wants you to come check the new paddock for vulnerability."

"What kind of Dino are we talking about?" I asked, keeping the topic business related because she was in the zone.

"The Indominous Rex." Didn't seem to roll of the tongue quite as nicely as I would like, but I knew it was definitely not a real dinosaur.

"What kind of hybrid is it?"

"Base genome is a T-Rex and the rest is classified." She told me, which rubbed me the wrong way.

"Wait. You don't even know?" Claire shook her head and my stomach flipped. "That's probably not good. How old is she?" Claire pulled out the file and let me read it. I didn't like how secretive they were being about her, that usually meant dangerous and wrong. "I'll for sure come check out the paddock, but I wanna talk to Wu in the lab too if that's okay." She nodded her head at me and licked her lips.

"Thank you so much for the flowers, Owen, but I have to get back to work. I have three more meetings today and a conference call and I still have to go see Masrani. Could you come see the paddock tomorrow? I'm a little crammed today."

"Yeah, I'll just schedule it with Zara before I leave, no biggie. Oh! And for dinner, I'll surprise you." She smiled appreciatively at me and nodded before placing a loving kiss on my lip and walking me to the door. We exchanged "I Love You's" and I left after talking to Zara.

The lab wasn't far from Claire's building and I got there easily. Claire must have called and told them I would be visiting because they didn't stop me and ask me a million questions like they usually did. When I got there, Masrani was in Wu's office talking to him as well. I knocked and they called for me to enter, making me more nervous.

"Hey Doc, I need to discuss this asset with you when you have time." I told him, nodding my head at Masrani.

"Owen Grady, right?" He asked. I nodded my head and shook his hand.

We discussed the asset and he even let me know some classified information about what the Indominous was actually mixed with. It made me uncomfortable that it was part Raptor and that he used genes from other species such as cuddle fish because they had chromatophores they could manipulate their body temperature. I voiced my opinion on the matter and that's all that I could do, but before I left, I made sure to have a talk with Masrani alone.

"Sir, if I may, I know this dinosaur is going to make you a lot of money, but you cannot just let the lab keep those kinds of secrets from you. If that dinosaur can change her thermal temperatures, who knows how bad that could have ended. You'd search the paddock for her and it would seem as if she were gone. I don't want you to have her like chained up or anything, but you should have something to ensure that you know she is in that cage." He nodded his head at me and seemed as though he really actually valued my opinion on the matter.

"Mr. Grady, I like how you think. I know you take care of the raptor's but how would you feel about helping with the Indominous as well?" I was stunned.

"I'm not sure what to say Sir. The girls take up a lot of my time. I don't want them to suffer because I'm not focused on them completely." He nodded again.

"I understand why Claire keeps you so close. You're really special to her and she is really special to me. This park would not run without her. I understand why you can't help with the new asset and I appreciate your honestly on the whole situation. I want to come accompany you when you survey the paddock tomorrow." I shook my head yes and then shook his hand, happy I spoke my mind and then turned to leave. Right as I was about to walk out of the door, Masrani called my name again.

"Congrats on the engagement, Grady." I was shocked again, but nodded and thanked him before heading to my car. Before I started it to head back to the girls, I texted Claire.

 **O: Weirdest/Nicest/Oddest conversation ever with Masrani. All good things. I'll see you at home later! Good Luck with the rest of your meetings. X**

 **C: Kind of nervous to hear what you talked about with him, but I trust it can't be too bad. He's a good man. Thank you for your luck, I'm gonna need it. Xo**

I made my way back to the girls ands finished their training for the day before heading back to the apartment to start dinner. The second I got home, Claire called me.

"Hi, baby." I started.

"Hey, I'm leaving my last meeting now, so I'll be home in 20 minutes. Want me to pick something up?"

"No, I'm about to start cooking. Don't stress. The first days back after vacations always suck, right?" I heard her sigh and hum in agreement. "Alright, so you don't worry your pretty little head anymore. Dinner will be almost done with you get here and you can change and drink some wine and it'll all be alright.

"God, what did I do to deserve you?" She asked, making me laugh.

"Oh, Claire, I ask myself that every single day."

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	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all! I feel like it has been forever since I last updated, but it hasn't been** ** _too_** **long! I hope you al enjoy this one too! Pleeeease leave a review and let me know what you think! I really appreciate all of the feedback! ENJOY!**

My meeting with Claire and Masrani was scheduled for right after lunch, so I finished my food and sped over to Claire's office so we could drive together. I hopped into her SUV and we made our way to the immense paddock that seemed more like a fortress than an animal enclosure. My stomach did somersaults just thinking about how big this dinosaur must be if this is its enclosure.

"There is only one?" I asked Claire, my mouth open slightly when we stepped out of her car. She nodded her head at me and grabbed my hand, walking over to the entrance where we climbed the steps and met Masrani at the observation floor. The paddock was immaculate to say the least. You could tell the walls were well built and the monitors and security systems they had set up were top of the line, but I couldn't help but wonder if that would be enough.

I voiced my opinions which Masrani seemed to like and Claire stood idly in the back observing us together. Occasionally, we would make eye contact and she would smirk at me, making me lose my train of thought and have to start again, but Masrani didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't care.

I honestly thought he would be more offended when I told him that his new dinosaur was basically set up to fail. She was much too big and as much as the park visitors would get a hoot out of seeing her, she was kept alone in captivity her whole life and large groups of people might spook her. There were too many variables that could make her a potentially life threatening attraction. After all was said and done, Masrani shook my hand and walked us to the door. We walked back outside as a group and were making our way back to the SUV when we heard Masrani call our names. I turned on my heels and grabbed Claire's arm, just in case she didn't hear him over the sound of his helicopter starting up. Claire was trying to keep her hair in place which was basically a lost cause, but I put her in front of my and held onto her hips as we walked back over to our boss.

"He's a keeper, Claire." He simply stated, placing his headset on and pointing at me. Claire nodded her head and smiled, placing one of her hands over my own.

"I know, sir." She responded with a smirk, moving us so we were standing next to each other. She rubbed my bicep lovingly and rested her head on my shoulder as we watch Masrani climb into his helicopter. When the blades started moving faster, we retreated back to the car and watched him take off. It was silent for a moment, but we soaked it in comfortably.

"I feel like I just got approval from your father." I joked, making Claire laugh next to me and playfully slap my arm. "And hey, I didn't mean to control the whole meeting, I guess I just had a lot to say." I finished with a chuckle. She nodded her head at me and shrugged.

"I don't mind at all. You needed to say those things because I saw Simon's face. He is having second thoughts now and that might even be the best thing for the park." I liked this. I liked that we are still working together and our relationship didn't mess anything up. It gave me hope for the future.

She pulled into the lot at her office and we both got out promising to see each other around 6 tonight at home. I hopped on my motorcycle and revved the engine, ready to take off toward the paddock to finish my day with the Raptors. As I was about to leave, I heard Claire whistle as she watched me begin to speed off onto the tropical backroads of the park. I smirked to myself and turned to wink at her before going.

When I reached the girls, we did another training session which went more smooth than ever. We seemed to be on the same wavelength and they were listening for my cues more than normal. My mind was clear and I wasn't worrying about anything and I think that helped the girls understand what I wanted from them. That night during the last feeding time, I gave the girls an extra snack before I left and started my trek back to the apartment. I usually beat Claire home, but I noticed her SUV parked in the lot when I pulled in which made me smile and walk a little faster to the elevator.

As I approached the door, I heard light music playing beyond it which intrigued me. My key slid into the lock easily and as I turned the knob, I was welcomed by the mouth watering smell of whatever Claire was cooking up in the kitchen. The lights were dimmed and a few candles on the island counter were lit, making the room feel more intimate and comforting. Her back was toward me and her hips were swaying along to the music that was playing throughout the apartment through the surround sound speakers. I smiled when I saw the open bottle of wine and the full glass sitting next to the stove in front of her.

She reached for the glass and took a swig, brushing a strand of hair over her shoulder and humming along to the music. I slowly made my way behind her and noticed the pasta sauce she was cooking up on the stove top. My arms snaked around her waist and I felt her jump slightly, but relax immediately into my embrace when she realized it was me.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" I asked her, peppering her neck with kisses. She giggled and turned her head to peck my lips, smiling deviously at me.

"Spaghetti to congratulate my man." she told me. The look I gave her made me laugh again as she pulled back from my embrace so she could actually look at me. "Masrani called me about 20 minutes after you left and told me his new plan." She took another sip of her wine and handed me the glass after. I followed her lead and took a gulp of my own, anxiety flooding through my body. "He was insanely impressed with your knowledge on the animal behavior that he wanted me to talk to you about a promotion." My eyebrows shot up, but I didn't say anything yet. Claire smiled at me reassuringly and rubbed my arm. "So he knows you want to stay with the girls and you probably wouldn't want to be trapped behind a desk all day, which I told him." I nodded my head at her and egged her on, wanting to hear the rest of the proposal. "Owen Grady, Animal Behavior Specialist." She finished, staring at me and waiting for me to say something.

"Wow… So what does that mean exactly?" I asked, nervous about moving on.

"That means that you would be a Jurassic World employee and no longer part of InGen, but you would stay with your girls. You would also have a bit more paper work, you'd have to come sit in on some more meetings, and you would have to help with some of the other dinosaurs when problems arise." She finished, wringing her hands together in nervousness, her eyes never leaving mine. I pecked her on the lips and smiled at her.

"You thought of me for this job?" I asked, honored that my fiancé thought so highly of me, but she shook her head no.

"Masrani thinks you're more valuable than what you're doing now. He said your true potential has not been tapped into yet and he wants to keep you here." When my contract is up with InGen in a couple of years, that was it for me. They would either get rid of me or resign me, but it's never concrete which always scared me. It has been scaring me even more now that me and Claire are so serious.

"Wow…" I was stunned. "I mean, I'd be honored." I stated triumphantly. Claire squealed and wrapped her arms around my neck, jumping up and clinging to my body. I chuckled as she kissed my neck and hummed her happiness against me. "Okay, okay Claire! Don't burn the pasta sauce!" I joked and unhooked her from my neck. Her legs slid from around my waist and she kissed me more passionately on the lips. I reciprocated the kiss immediately and backed her up against the counter.

"After dinner, we truly celebrate." She informed me with a wink, walking out of my embrace and lightly slapping my butt while she made her way back to the stove to finish our dinner. I smiled at her and sat on a bar stool at the island, after grabbing a beer from the fridge and watching her finish cooking.

Claire scooped the spaghetti into our bowls and I demolished my bowl as quickly as she placed it in front of me. Not only was I starving, but this ravenous woman in front of me was flashing some severe love-making eyes at me and I couldn't control myself much longer. I knew she was purposefully taking her sweet old time to finish her dinner, but I like to think of myself as a true gentleman and if she wants to be a tease, then so do I.

"Man, today has been one hell of a day." I stated, stretching my arms above me and faking a yawn. Her eyebrows knitted together and she slowly brought her fork down to her bowl, chewing on her lip, suddenly not so sure of the situation. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back, closing my eyes and breathing in slowly. When I reopened them and finished my beer, I internally highfived myself when I saw she hadn't moved at all. "What's the matter, darlin'? I thought you were hungry?" I immediately saw the wheels turn in her mind. Claire smirked at me from the other end of the island, figuring out my master plan. _Shit. I'm screwed._

"I think you're right, _darling._ Today has felt like a marathon. I think I'm just gonna clean up the kitchen, send some emails and head to bed." She got up at a steady pace, pushing her stool in and collecting our bowls before turning the sink on to clean the dishes. I turned to look at her completely in shock. "Honey," she continued from the sink, tossing her hair seductively over her shoulder again. I just turned and looked at her, no way I could form a coherent sentence. "Close your mouth and get your sweaty ass in the shower." My head tilted to the side, stunned by her whole persona and confused as to what she wanted. I watched her finish the dishes and head to the bedroom, so I took it upon myself to follow her.

Claire strutted her way into the bathroom, shedding herself of her blouse as she entered. I didn't know what to do in this situation. Part of me wanted to follow her into the shower and have my way with her again and again, but I knew that's what she thought I'd do. The hand that had instinctually went down to unbuckle my belt came up to scratch my head instead. I wanted to tease her, but I also love her and have this urge to be as close to her as possible all the time. My thoughts were halted when I heard the water start and saw Claire's bra come flying through the doorway. I internally groaned and flopped onto the bed, trying my hardest to not get up.

"You coming in, honey? The water feels amazing!" Claire hollered over the sound of the running water. Everything in me stopped and all of my self control was thrown out the window. I basically ran into the bathroom, pulling my clothes off in record time before I slid the glass shower door open and jump in with Claire. She spun around quickly and laughed at the needy look in my eyes. "I thought you were tired, baby." She had me wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger and not only did I know it, but she did too. I scoffed before wrapping my arms around her waist and pinning her up against the wall.

"No more games." I told her, staring into her eyes intensely. The smirk that once graced Claire's face slowly fell when she realized how serious I was being. Not sure how things ended up this way, but I am definitely not complaining. She nodded her head slowly, bringing her arms up to rest around my neck as I quickly brought my hand down to her most sacred ground to assess the situation. My head landed on her shoulder when I felt how wet she was and I hadn't even touched her yet. "Jesus, Claire." I panted into her neck before licking the strip of skin from her pulse point up to the shell of her ear. I felt a chill rush through her whole body and a heavy breath release from her, making me smile against her as I plunged two fingers into her without warning. I heard her head smack backwards into the wall I was pushing her against and she groaned. I moved back suddenly to look at her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, honestly worried by how loud the smack was. She was smiling, which made me feel better, but when she brought her hand up to the back of her head and closed her eyes, I got worried. My hand made it's way up to cover hers and apply pressure to try and stop the pain I knew was radiating from the impact. Claire's eyes finally opened and she mumbled a quiet, "fuck" before looking at me once again.

"I'm sorry, Claire." I told her, laughing at the odd situation. She was wet as can be and I was hard as a rock, making me start to laugh now that I knew she was okay.

"Stop apologizing, Owen. I did that because what you were doing felt so _good_ , not bad." Her voice was laced with humor, but I still felt bad that she was most likely going to have a welt there in the morning. Shower sex was no longer on my mind, so I turned the shower off and reached out to grab the towel Claire had left out for us. I wrapped it around her and patted her dry before moving to dry myself off before wrapping it around the two of us afterwards. Claire's arms were wrapped around my neck again and she was peppering hot kisses all over my chest.

"Still in the mood then?" I asked her while moving my hands to rest oddly against her back to keep the large towel in place so neither of us would get cold. I felt her laugh against me and stop her attack on my chest to make eye contact with me. The devious look in her eyes made me smile as well and my head lulled back when I felt her hand start to pump my still hard member. I moaned audibly and she started to giggle like a schoolgirl, but that didn't stop me from scooping her in my arms and letting the cold air of the apartment shock both of us. With large strides, I brought us into the bedroom and laid her down gently on the blanket, watching her move her way up the bed, legs slightly parted as she eyed me down. I crawled up the bed after her and left tiny kisses randomly on her legs, feeling her eyes drilling holes into me, wanting more than anything for me to look up at her.

My rough, calloused hands brush against her legs, sweeping over her barely-there stubble. The scratchy feeling sending shockwaves throughout my body and goosebumps ignited beneath my touch. I finally did what she wanted and looked up at her from my place near her knees. Her chest was moving faster and she wet her lips with her tongue, making me want to kiss her even more.

"Sorry, I forgot to shave" she mumbled, closing her eyes to avoid all eye contact.

"Yeah, me too." I joked at her, making her eyes open back up and she smirked at me. The adoration that was flowing from her made my heart swell and my favorite Claire laugh filled the room, making me even happier.

I didn't give her much time to compute what I said before my lips finished their attack on her legs and I left light nips on her inner thighs, possibly leaving small black and blue marks. My lips cascading down her skin like a waterfall. She moaned when I sucked particularly hard and her hands come down to wind in my hair, trying to direct me up just a little further to where she wanted me most. I kissed the bruise I had surely left on her before I kissed each lower lip of the lady I love. I smiled when I felt her grip tighten and her leg wrapped around my upper back. I grabbed it and helped drape it over my shoulder so I'd have better access to her dripping core.

My hand crawled up and parted her lips, making it easier for me to take a solid lick all the way up and suck gently on her clit before teasing her hole with my finger. Tastes like mine and smells divine. This is where I was meant to be and I had no problem staying here for the rest of my life. I was broken out of my trance when I felt Claire tugging on my hair and saying my name, trying to get me up, so I took one last lick to savor the taste and looked up at her with hooded eyes. She slowly blinked at me twice and I felt my cock twitch when I saw she was playing with her breasts, but she had told me to stop, so I did.

"We are celebrating you. Let me suck you off." She panted at me, trying to unhook her leg from over my shoulder. I just simply chuckled at her and kissed the spot on her thigh that was already bruising. I leaned back down and kissed her lower lips once before shifting slightly so I could take a breast in each of my hands, teasing the nipples and showing them the love they deserved.

"You do realize how much pleasure I get from seeing you like this?" I deadpanned. She didn't say anything so I continued. "I get to do things to you that I know no one else has done, or they haven't done in a long time. I get to see you at your most vulnerable and you trust me with pleasing you in every single way possible." I was leaving hot, open mouthed kisses on her body as I started to crawl up it, making sure my tongue teased the skin after I kissed it and breathed heavily on it. She was squirming underneath me, but didn't try to stop me this time. "I know your body, Claire and I know that you don't want me to stop. I felt your toes curling on my back and heard your breath hitch before it became labored. I know how close you were. I want to see you cum and I want to be the one to give you that pleasure." I barely got the last of my sentence out before she pulled me up to her and our lips smacked together in a fury kiss. Her teeth were pulling on my bottom lip and she mumbled something I couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?" I asked her. Her eyes were darker than I had ever seen them and she brought my lower lip in between hers again before letting it go. She licked her own lips and I saw her hand moving down in between us from my peripherals. I anticipated her touch, but still shivered when she tugged gently on my throbbing member.

"Mine." She simply stated, making my eyes roll into the back of my head and my head came down to rest on her shoulder. My biceps shuddered from the pleasure and I felt her gently kiss one before pumping me a few more times, slowly. I brought my head back up and bit my own lip, tasting her on me in more ways than one.

"Yours." I responded, my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. I had never seen Claire like this. She needed me more than I had ever seen and it was invigorating. I knew I wasn't going to last long if she kept pumping me like she was, so I kissed her passionately once more on the lips and moved my own hand down to cover hers. She was going to protest, I knew it, but when I took my hand off and moved it to her dripping entrance, she couldn't seem to find anymore words.

"Now, _this_ ," my fingers slid in between her folds to spread her wetness around, "is mine. No one else's." Claire nodded her head vigorously and took her hands off of me, bringing them both up to run through her hair. I knew she was overwhelmed, but enjoying herself, so I continued. "I need to hear you say it, baby." She was panting at this point and one of my fingers was teasing her relentlessly, circling her clit and then running down to her hole to insert a finger slowly before retracting it and playing with her nub again. Her mouth was opening and closing and she kept licking her lips, so I took my hands off of her completely to give her a bit of a break.

"Of course I'm yours. She's yours." She nodded down to her vagina, which made me laugh that she referred to it as a she. "I would never want anyone else." At her words, I snapped. Something inside me started to buzz and I needed to be buried in her as deep as I could be. I needed to make love to her. My member was standing as tall as possible which made it easy to slip right into her slowly, feeling her inner walls expand around my size. Claire sighed before bringing her hands to wrap around my neck as she panted into my ear. "Look at me. Her eyes were drooping as I was taking my sweet old time setting a slow pace and when our eyes connected, everything feel a million times more pleasurable. Her legs were shaking and my biceps were starting to quiver, so I dropped down onto my forearm, forcing our faces to get even closer before I brought and hand to tease her clit to help her over the edge. She let out a strangled sigh as I started to twitch within her and I felt her toes curl up tight before pointing straight out as she came around me, her walls clenching tight, milking me as I released into her as well.

We were sweaty and sticky and ready for bed, so when I collapsed onto her, I rolled off quickly and ran into the bathroom, coming back with the towel we had wrapped ourselves in post-shower. Claire didn't say anything, knowing for a fact that I was going to clean us both up before letting her fall asleep on my chest. She flipped over on her back and let me spread her legs slightly, bringing the towel up to gently gather all of the fluids that had been left behind. She sighed when I left a kiss over her bud and the bruise on her thigh before wiping myself off and throwing the towel back into the bathroom.

"Sorry, but that hickey on your thigh is going to be nasty." I told her, finally laying down and covering us with the blanket. Claire nodded her head and shrugged, too tired to care at this point. My fingers made their way to massage her scalp as her eyes started to flutter closed. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep as well, the images of Claire and I in the future fluttered through my mind. My promotion will be a good thing in the long run and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

We were awoken the next morning by the alarm on her phone, but neither of us showed any sign of moving to stop it. During the night, we had shifted positions entirely and Claire had ended up on her back and my head was resting on her chest. Not a bad way to be woken up. "The only sound I want to hear is your heartbeat under my ear as I lay my head on your chest." I told her as I reached over us to grab her phone and turn the alarm off.

"How are you so incredibly handsome even this early in the morning? And you know exactly what to say to make me swoon." Claire murmured to me, brushing her fingers through my hair. I was going to reply when I noticed that Claire's background on her phone was a picture of the two of us cuddled up on the couch in her living room. Her head was nuzzled into my neck and my arm was wrapped protectively around her body, pulling her as close to me as humanly possible. Someone in the room must have said something funny, because I had a bright smile on my face and Claire was all teeth, probably just getting done with laughing at the joke that was being told. It was an adorable picture and I was actually quite jealous that I didn't have it on my phone. "Karen sent me that a few days ago and it made my heart really happy. Unlock it and see what my other background is." She whispered to me when she noticed my staring.

I entered her passcode and smiled lovingly up at her when I saw the picture of me holding onto the back of Grey's shirt. It was from when the boys and Karen had first visited Claire and when I was helping her take them around to all of the exhibits. This one in particular was from the Pterodactyl enclosure and I was nervous Grey was going to slip on the bar he was standing on to get a better look at the prehistoric birds. I had been smiling and Zach was in the background also smiling, which was rare at that point in time. The picture made my heart happy as well and I kissed the sensitive skin under each of Claire's breast once before looking back up at her.

"They're lovely, but I'm pissed you didn't send them to me!" I joked at her and she snorted before pushing my head away from her gently. I smiled as I clicked on her picture app and made my way through them, sending myself the pictures I wanted from throughout our relationship. There was a selfie of us kissing under the mistletoe at Karen's Christmas party that I barely remember taking and another picture of us with the boys and a lot of candid pictures from Karen and the boys' first trip to the park. Karen must have really been watching us together because the amount of pictures Claire had saved was insane and they surely showed our affectionate sides.

"Satisfied?" Claire asked when I locked her phone and threw it onto the mattress beside us, trying to make a mental note to switch my background to something other that the Raptors. I nodded my head and dragged myself out of bed to take a real shower quickly before work. Claire always slept for a few extra minutes while I showered and then made her way in and started getting ready for her day when I got out. The simply routines we had created for ourselves without even realizing it made me happy as well and if I had any doubts about our future, moments like this dissolved all of the negative thoughts immediately.

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	16. Chapter 16

**HI EVERYONE! I'm so so so so sorry about taking so long to update! This month has been insane! I hope you enjoy this! The story is sadly coming to an end soon!**

Today is my first official day with my new job title and obviously I am nervous about it. Claire on the other hand has been running around the apartment all morning going on and on about how exciting today would be so I have no other choice, but to be excited myself. I don't think today should be much different than my last few years on the island, but when I walked into the paddock and the crew gave me a wild round of applause, I got a sour taste in my mouth. The recognition was unnecessary and I waved it off immediately, but that also didn't stop Barry from clapping me on the back and teasing me about the new title.

"My best friend is in the big leagues now, huh mate?" I know he was joking around with me, so I just shook my head and pushed him away from me.

"Same old Owen." I responded honestly, worried that's what everyone else would think. The forced, teeth-filled smile that graced my face made him cackle like a hyena and grab both of my shoulders before we started up the stairs to the girls enclosure.

"We know you're the same obnoxious, loud mouth Grady so no worries, man." Relief flooded through my body and Barry whipped me with his sweat towel before grabbing his bucket of rats and taking the stairs three at a time. I turned and picked up my own bucket and towel along with my water bottle and followed my friend to go and train our girls.

They seemed quite excited to see us when we finally released them from their holding centers. Not only were they extra playful with each other, but they looked healthy and more than ready to train. Charlie and Blue did have a small brawl over a miscalculated throw of a rat on my part. When Blue caught the airborne rodent that was directed toward Charlie, she was pissed beyond compare. With a sneaky lunge, Blue was pinned to the ground, making the other two girls step back and watch just as Barry had been doing.

"HEY! Hey, Charlie! Cut that shit out!" I hollered, whistling frighteningly loud and grabbing the attention of all four of the raptors and Barry immediately, nodding my head at them when they all lined back up in the appropriate order and made eye contact with me, awaiting their next order. I heard Barry start to clap, along with one of the new guys who was always sporting the same ratty beanie regardless of how warm it got on this tropical island.

"Animal Behavior Specialist for a damn reason, man!" Barry spewed at me, not teasing or messing around at all this time around. Not that I didn't appreciate it, but I was imply doing my job and didn't need to be applauded for it.

Before I could say anything, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket and I pulled it out quickly, smiling and feeling a warm rush throughout my body when I saw Claire's gorgeous face looking back at me. Her caller ID picture was from one of our dates way early into our relationship. I had brought her to my bungalow and took her fishing, for real that time. She actually put in a genuine effort and I think she was trying to impress me, which did end up happening when she landed a lunker largemouth. She reeled it in like a champ and I'm pretty sure I fell in love with her all over again. Claire forced me to take a picture of her after I showed her how to hold it without harming the fish or herself and the outcome was quite breathtaking. She was genuinely happy in the picture and every time she called me, which is more frequent now than it used to be, I am able to relive that moment.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I remembered I had to actually pick up the phone if I wanted to speak with Claire. I glared over at Barry and smirked before flipping him off when he made kissy faces at me.

"Hey baby. What's up?" I asked her, turning my body to give us a bit more privacy. A small hum came through from her end of the phone and my insides melted knowing how much she loved the pet names we have for each other. I never thought Claire would be into pet names, but boy is she ever.

"Hi. Have you been in your office yet?" She asked me in her professional voice. I knew someone else must have been in her office with her, or she would have definitely reciprocated the adoration.

"I have not. Barry and I decided to do a morning training session because the girls seemed extra antsy when we got here. Why? What's in my office?" I didn't want any presents or surprises and I hope Claire wasn't making a big deal out of this.

"Okay, yeah, no problem." There was a silence for a minute and I heard her typing violently on her computer. "Alright, I just emailed you your new schedule. Nothing too intense or anything, just a few meetings you'll have to attend. Also, Julie at the Pachy enclosure wants you to come by and see if you can find a way to get them to stop butting their heads together. They keep shorting out their implants and we don't want to keep drugging them to fix it." I nodded my head and hummed at her, thinking about what I could tell Julie to do. "You okay, Owen?" I heard her stop typing and her voice hushed a little bit. I sighed and started down the stairs and headed to my office for the first time today.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. I may have a few ideas of things we could do to prevent them from butting heads, but I'm not sure how well they will work. I can definitely meet with her, I'd like to find out what she's already tried." I didn't want to seem ungrateful for this promotion or anything, because I totally wasn't, so I didn't bring up.

"Owen.." I knew she was going to bring it up, so I stopped her.

"No, no I'm fine Claire. Really." I snapped at her, immediately regretting the tone of voice I used. She was silent for a moment and I closed my eyes, leaning up against the wall outside of my office. "I'm sorry, honey. I know you're just trying to help. It's just odd. Everyone is praising me and I really haven't done anything different than before. I love this job so much and it's important to me, but I don't need special attention." The line was silent again and I took the time to make a move to enter my office.

"People are proud of you, Owen. Simple as that. That is why they are doing nice things for you. I'm sorry, but I'm also proud of you and I'm not going to hide that because you're being juvenile about this. I want you to know just how much I support you and I'm not going to apologize for it." She was absolutely right. I was being so childish about this. I worked hard to get where I am and I should be grateful for all of the recognition I am getting.

By the time she was finished talking, I had entered my office and noticed the large gift basket sitting on my desk from none other than my phenomenal fiancé herself. It was wrapped with a nice red bow and had a 'Congratulations' balloon tied to the top of it. There was a 6 pack of my favorite beer, a new name identification card with my new title on it that gave me access to just about everywhere on the island, a cute little raptor stuffed animal that was wearing a Jurassic World tee shirt and a bag of beef jerky. I didn't know what to say. Here I was, complaining about people showing me praise while Claire of course went above and beyond.

"…Claire…" I started before she cut me off.

"You don't have to be nice. I wanted to surprise you, but that doesn't matter anymore. I just hope you realize how proud I truly am of you, because I am. This was my fault though, I must've read the situation wrong." Well this was not at all how I wanted his conversation to go.

"No, I'm an asshole. This is amazing, honey. I shouldn't be complaining at all! Thank you so much for the basket, I really do love and appreciate it." I started to rummage through the smaller items that were scattered across the bottom of the basket while we finished our conversation.

"Well, you have a meeting with me in an hour, so we can talk more then. I need to give you a rundown of the new paperwork we need you to be filling out, so we should have plenty of time."

"We can't do that at home?" I teased her and could almost hear her eyes roll through the phone while my hand grabbed onto a piece of fabric from the basket at the same time.

"I don't want to take our work home. We live where we work and that's more than enough for me." I chuckled at what she said, but my laugh stopped abruptly and my breath hitches when I realized that I was holding her underwear in my hand. Not just any underwear either. It was a skimpy pair of black, lace underwear that were still warm. I groaned aloud and almost dropped my phone when I heard her giggle.

"Claire…" I didn't even know where to begin. I couldn't form a coherent sentence even if I had tried. Was Claire walking around the park and going to meetings with investors and _not_ wearing underwear?

"Did you find my favorite part of your gift?" Her sultry voice echoed through my head. I brought the garment up to my nose and inhaled, smelling her unique scent and nearly falling to the floor.

"Claire…" I tried again, "are you not wearing underwear?" I know the answer, but needed to hear her say the words. She giggled again, but a knock at my door startled me and made me shove her delicates into my pocket roughly. In walked Barry, probably concerned about how long I had been gone. He gave me a strange look and I just nodded at him, gesturing at my phone.

"I'll see you at our meeting, Mr. Grady." Claire teased me before hanging up and leaving me standing in the middle of my office, a hole burning in my pocket and my pants uncomfortably tight.

"Looks like you saw a ghost, brother." Barry told me, standing his ground at my door, not making any movements to come in or to leave.

"You don't even know the half of it, man. Lets go feed the girls." I told him before walking toward him an closing the door to my office securely behind me. Never in my life have I been more excited for a meeting.

.

"Owen! Good to see you! Claire is waiting in her office, you can go right in." Zara smiled politely at me and nodded her head at the bouquet of flowers I had in my hands. "You're gonna need that raise if you are planning on bringing her flowers every single time you guys meet. Claire would have you here seven times a day if time allowed for it. I have take her phone from her at least once a day to prevent her from booty calling you." I laughed at her and shook my head before entering Claire's office and smiling at my girl once we made eye contact.

"Was Zara harassing you again?" She asked me, taking the flowers from my hands and planting a loving kiss on my lips as a thank you. I turned around and sat in the seat I usually did when I came to her office and waited patiently for her to find a spot for the flowers and come back over to sit down and give me the run down. As if on cue, Zara came waltzing in with a vase full of water and placed it on the corner of Claire's desk.

"Don't mind me, on with your business." Zara said, waving her hand at us, making me laugh. Claire pulled out a stack of papers that had been wrapped together by a single rubber band with a sticky note slapped on the front of it with my name scrawled on it in Claire's handwriting. Claire cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea before moving her chair to the side of the desk so we were closer to one another.

"Ready?" She asked me, removing the sticky note and placing it on my shirt with a laugh and a heartwarming smile. I rubbed my fingers over the top of it so it wouldn't fall off and smirked at her when she slid the rubber band off the paper and organized them into different piles. Only this woman could make separating papers seem sexy. I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze up to her eyes where I examined her features as she worked. The way her eyebrows knitted together while she sorted through the pages and how when she really concentrated on something, her tongue would poke out from in between her lips and she would softly gnaw on it afterward. I was snapped out of my staring when I realized that Claire had been talking to me the whole time and I had heard none of it. I quietly laughed to myself and Claire looked up at me.

"What's so funny?" She asked me, eyebrows knitting together again.

"You're gonna have to start over, honey. I heard none of that." She smiled back at me and a small blush started creeping onto her cheeks as she pushed a small strand of rogue hair behind her ear and looked back down at the paperwork. Her long legs uncrossed and recrossed across her lap as she cleared her throat and moving a fraction of an inch away from me. I felt her caress my bicep as she moved in and planted a chaste kiss on my lips, but she was in professional Claire mode and I wasn't going to mess her up.

"We have to focus, Owen. This will only work if we act professional. No more distractions." I nodded at her, telling her I understood what she was saying, but all I wanted was to throw her down on her couch and have my way with her. This was very important to both of us though, so I pushed my thoughts away and looked back up at her, focusing back on the paperwork.

The packets seemed endless, but the information was easy enough and the distractions were minimal for the remainder of the meeting. My knee brushed against her leg a few times accidentally and my hand rested on her thigh on purpose, but she didn't seem to mind. Claire smiled at me warmly when she finally finished talking about protocols and paperwork formats and we both released a sigh of relief. Suddenly, I remembered the lingerie that was burning a hole in my pocket and I stood quickly, grabbing her hand and leading her to the couch.

"Woah! Where's the fire?" She asked me sarcastically, teasing my sudden sense of urgency.

"Your fucking underwear are in my pocket and I _just_ remembered. How did I last a whole entire meeting like that?" Her head fell back and she released a soul crushing laugh. My heart fluttered and my knees quaked at the sound, but most of all, my pants tightened when she grabbed my hand and pushed me back onto the couch, swinging a leg over my lap and straddling me. She lifted up the hem on her skirt so she could be more comfortable and the constant movement on my lap made me moan in anticipation. She chuckled under her breath and quietly apologized before kissing me fiercely on the lips once before moving back to look me in the eyes, flashed me her love-making stare. This was happening. We were gonna go all the way in her office. This had been a dream of mine since the first time I laid eyes on her. My thoughts were halted when I felt her hand come up and land on my shoulder, trying to pull me in. I moved the way she wanted me to without a single thought and sighed in contentment when I felt her nuzzling into my neck, peppering intimate and loving kisses on the skin that was there. She knew that was a weakness of mine and I sighed in contentment with her.

"You okay, baby?" I asked. Not that she wasn't normally this loving or anything, but usually she is cuddly and clingy after she orgasms, not before. I felt her nod and after a beat, she moved her head so we could look at one another.

"I'm just so unbelievably thankful that we worked this all out. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it anymore." There was a comfortable silence for a moment before she began speaking again. "I want to set a date for the wedding. I know I said I wasn't in a rush, and I still am not, but I want to be yours in every way possible." I stared at her in disbelief. My jaw dropped a little bit and I couldn't form any words. Of course I wanted to marry her. I would marry this woman today if she'd let me. My lack of response must have scared her, because the tears that started brimming her eyes, threatening to fall, occurred just as quickly as she started to get off of my lap.

"You're not going anywhere." I told her stubbornly, tightening my grip on her waist and taking my turn at nuzzling into her neck. I could feel her breathing was irregular and I wanted to just think it was her arousal, but I knew she was terrified that I had changed my mind. "Mid-June would be nice." I said finally, confusing her even more and making her sit back on my thighs, studying my face. When it all clicked, she smiled at me, but her eyebrows stayed knitted together. I simply nodded at her and leaned in to plant a simple kiss on her nose.

"I like the sound of that. The weather will be nice, regardless of where we decide to get married. Also, super nice time for honeymooning and future anniversary trips. I like June." I couldn't help the smile that was probably splitting my face in half. She had not only thought about marrying me, but she was thinking about the future years we are going to spend together. "Our kids will be off of school, so they could always come along with us, or Karen can watch them. I doubt she'd mind that. She's been wanting another baby for so long." Her rambling ended when she heard my gasp and I knew it. Claire was freely talking about having children. _Our_ children. I didn't think I could love this woman anymore than I already do, but then she goes and says things like this and I just can't take it.

"Claire Dearing wants to be a mom." I stated simply, squeezing her hip tenderly before moving my hands under the back of her blouse to tenderly rub the skin underneath it.

"Just as much as Owen Grady wants to be a dad, I would hope." Her shy smile and lack of eye contact was so unlike her, so I knew I had to find a way to prove to her that I actually wanted this.

"Claire, look at me," I started, grabbing her chin lightly with one hand and moving it so we were locking eyes, "I have never wanted kids." All hope in her eyes vanished and her lower lip actually pouted as the tears came back in full force. I felt like a complete idiot for starting my sentence like that. "Okay, that came out wrong. I never wanted kids before I met you. Now, a little red headed, opinionated daughter is the only thing I can think about. I don't care if it is before or after we get married that we get pregnant, because I am 100% in this for the long haul. My life revolves around you now and I want more than anything to share that love with as many kids as you want to have, but at least two." I ended with a lighthearted chuckle that Claire joined in on while I wiped her under eyes from all of the tears she had shed while I was talking.

"I'll take a rough and tough, renegade of a son who resembles you in every way please." She responded. The immaculate smile that was plastered on her face made me have to catch my breath.

My one hand found its way to the bottom of her skirt, helping her as she started to make slow, perfectly articulated gyrating motions on my lap once again, driving me wild. My pants tightened once again and Claire's hands snaked their way in between us to help me relieve the pressure. She unbuckled my belt and unfastened my pants quickly. I released a heavy breath against her face and we both laughed together before our lips met in a heated frenzy. We were battling for dominance and Claire was winning. She untucked me from my boxers and gave me a few readying squeezes before pumping me a few times. My eyes rolled in pure pleasure and I moaned aloud as my head lolled back against the couch.

"So June? That's only a few months away. Do you think we'll have enough time to plan everything?" She asked while her hand continued to work on my member. My head came back up off of the couch as i stared at her in awe, chuckling to myself.

"Fuck…" I moaned when she started to flick her wrist at a slightly accelerated pace. "Claire, I'd marry you regardless of what the wedding is like. You could be wearing a potato sack and I'd still be going crazy for you." Her hand came off of me and she all but lunged to connect our lips again. She was moaning against my mouth wildly as my hard member teased her clit over her underwear. Her hips were grinding down on me roughly and it took everything in me to not rip her skirt off of her body.

I started to unbutton her blouse and untuck it from her skirt as she located the zipper that was strategically placed on the side of the skirt itself. Once unzipped, the fabric fell to the floor at the same time I finished my work on her blouse and pushed it off of her shoulders. She sat back for a moment to catch her breath and it gave me a chance to take in her beauty. Before I could say anything else, my shirt was being pulled over my head and Claire's clammy hands felt like they were everywhere all at once.

"C'mere." My voice came out huskier than I thought it would and Claire's eyes practically rolled into the back of her head as I grabbed onto her thighs and helped her straddle my lap. She brought herself up slightly and helped me position my cock at her entrance before she sank down on me and released a moan that sent an electric current straight to my core. I honestly thought this was going to be a rushed fuck, but the second we made eye contact, I knew Claire's heart was in a different place. All of the wedding talk and children conversation, she wanted me to make love to her, which I intended on doing to the best of my ability.

She was sat still on my lap, loving the feeling of me simply filling her up. I hummed in her ear and peppered kisses up and down her neck before I nibbled on her earlobe. She had one arm wrapped around my neck while the other one was gripped onto my bicep and I could feel her clenching around me.

"Honey, you're gonna have to move." I told her, my hips thrusting upward involuntarily causing us both to gasp. She nodded her head against my neck, where she decided to bury it and just take in my scent. I felt her move her feet so they could balance her better and she lifted her hips before sinking down again. "Shit…" I hissed, never feeling as close to Claire as I did in this moment. Her head lolled back as she continued to rise and fall on me. Her chest was heaving in my face and I took her nipple in my mouth, grazing my teeth over it before lightly biting down on it playfully. Claire started to slow and I too it upon myself to start to meet her thrusts until I felt her pushing back on my chest.

"Wait, wait." She panted, distancing our chests and slowing down to a complete stop. I was throbbing in her and my grip on her hip tightened as I tried my hardest to not burst right in that moment. My eyes searched hers quickly to try and read her thoughts.

"I stopped taking my birth control." She stated simply, resting her head against my own. I pecked her lips once out of habit and proximity. When I didn't respond right away, she squeezed her walls around me once and I gripped even tighter, probably leaving a bruise on her hip.

"What're you saying?" She couldn't possibly be telling me to impregnate her right now.

"I'm ready if you are." The second the last word left her mouth, I picked her up and placed her gently back down on the couch. She squealed and the smile on her face must have mirrored mine, because in this moment, nothing could bring my mood down.

I parted her legs and realigned myself before thrusting back into her with all my might. Her hands were playing with the hair at the back of my neck and pulling at it teasingly, making me want to get her to finish even more. My thrusts quickened and she brought a leg up over my hip so I could go deeper than I already was. Quickly after, I found the spot that made her toes curl and I felt her walls begin to quiver and her breathing came out in heavy pants.

"Right there, baby." She sighed as I thrust a few more times before we both released at the same time. There was something even more satisfactory about the feeling of releasing into this woman when there could be a potential baby here in nine months time. Claire sighed in my ear, cradling my head into her chest as I came down from my high, an after shock of release surprising both of us and filling her even more.

"I'm staying in you for a couple of minutes, just in case." I sighed, thrusting my hips once more to make sure I was all in. She giggled and kissed the top of my head before lightly scratching at my head.

"You're gonna be the best dad ever, Owen." She admitted, making me lift my head to stare at her beautiful face.

"WE are gonna be the best parents ever, Claire."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone! Sorry I've been gone for so long. Life got in the way like it usually does, BUT I'm back! I have seen Fallen Kingdom five times already and can't wait to see it some more, but it has motivated me to write this, so here you go! I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review if you could, they mean the world to me.**

"Are you fucking kidding me? How did I ever love a man like _you_." Claire scolded me from across the kitchen table. I couldn't help the chuckle that rose from my throat at the looks of pure hatred on her face.

"That's not what you were saying last night, darling." I teased her back, only infuriating her more. Her eyebrows knitted together as she reached towards me, smacking my hand off of the table.

"Don't you dare move that piece, or I will leave." She threatened, her angry face turning serious. I sighed and raised my hands off the table, leaning back in my chair and exhaling my breath audibly.

"Claire, you cannot get like this every single time we play a fucking board game. It's just Monopoly for crying out loud!" I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows, challenging her to prove me wrong.

"Well, it's not fair that you always win! Like, aren't you supposed to love me? Just let me win for once!" It took everything in me not to laugh this time, so I just smiled and rubbed my hands down my face to hide from the threatening looks she was sending my way.

"I told you we shouldn't have started this. You are way too competitive for this to be fun." I pushed my chair back from the table and moved my hands onto the glass surface, pushing off of it to help me stand up. I was stopped when Claire's hands came out to halt my movement, her lower lip protruding from her face and her eyes begging me not to leave. My heart fluttered and I exhaled again. "We can continue if you stop threatening me. You know I love you, Claire Bear, but you're scary when you're mad." I told her honestly. I looked down at her hand where it was latched onto my wrist. Her engagement ring was glistening up at me, the chandelier from the dining room table reflecting off of it and bringing the shimmer back to my own eyes. Claire must have noticed me staring, because she got up from her seat, with our hands still intertwined, and circled the table to claim her rightful seat in my lap. I brought her hand up to my mouth and placed a gentle kiss on each knuckle, letting my lips linger on her ring finger and then releasing it completely.

"I told you, whenever you're ready, so am I." She kissed my jaw and nuzzled her nose into my shoulder. I felt her inhale a deep breath, breathing in my scent much like I do to her whenever I'm in close proximity to her. Never in a million years did I think I'd be the one who was postponing our wedding, but I am. I don't want it to be rushed and I really don't want her to regret it in the future, so I'm just trying to give her time so she can truly weight in on her options.

"You want Karen and the boys to be there, so we need to wait." I told her for the millionth time. I looked away from her gaze and shuffled my legs slightly, signaling for her to get off my lap. "Gotta pee." I told her before retreating into the hallway bathroom, leaving Claire alone in the living room. After splashing my face with water, I went back into the dining room to rejoin Claire, but she was no where to be found.

I sat down at the table and waited for her to come back, thinking she simply had to go to the bathroom herself, but when fifteen minutes went by and she still didn't join me, I got up to find her myself. I put my phone back into my pocket and slid the chair gently across the hardwood floor. Our bedroom door was closed which was strange, so I knew she had to be in there. I turned the knob and opened the door, peeking in and not finding her again.

"Claire?" I entered the room and immediately walked toward the bathroom door. Claire and I have lived together a while now and I couldn't even count on two hands the amount of times the bathroom door is ever closed. We don't hide anything from one another and the toilet is not in sight of the door, so what's the point? I knocked lightly on it, testing the knob, but knowing full well it was going to be locked. I huffed when it was and knocked a little harder.

"Claire? Are you in there?" The sound of hushed sniffles responded to me and my heart shattered. "Honey? Are you crying in there?" I heard movement on the other side of the door before knob started moving in my hand and the door opened slightly.

"Just leave me alone." Claire's voice was off. Her skin was blotchy and her eyes looked as if she had just finished crying. She attempted to shut the door again, but I stopped it before it could and held eye contact with her.

"What happened? We can finish Monopoly if you really want to." I informed her, more confused than ever during this situation.

"You know exactly what happened." She pushed passed me and let the bathroom door fly open, basically smacking me in the face. I stepped back and let her have her temper tantrum, knowing I wasn't going to win regardless of the situation. I thought she was going to leave, but the second her hand touched the handle on our bedroom door, she stopped completely. Her shoulders slumped and I could tell she was going to start crying. Right as I was going to comfort her, she spun around, tears staining her cheeks and worry filling her eyes.

"Why don't you want to marry me?" She asked me. My heart dropped and I reached out for her only to have her recoil which hurt me even more. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. MY hands instinctively ran through my hair, jostling the overgrown mop that was beginning to curl on the ends. Claire stood strong in front of me, arms folded across her chest, but her face was full of worry. She couldn't hide anything from me and we both knew it.

"I do want to marry you," I started, taking another step closer to her, reaching my hand out reluctantly, scared she was going to retreat from me once again. "You know I want to marry you more than anything else, love."

"Then why all of the excuses? You know I want a small wedding. I'd go to the courthouse right now in just our pajamas and sign the papers right now." She was serious and it took everything in me not to take her up on that offer.

"I just…ugh. I just don't want you to regret this." I all but screamed at her, moving my hand between the two of us before running it over the scruff on my face. The look on Claire's face was unreadable. The shaky exhale that followed made me even more nervous as she took a step closer and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"You know, I came in here with the mindset to pack an overnight bag and stay at Zara's. I was embarrassed that you keep rejecting me and confused. I was going to clear my head she just give us some space for the night." She honestly told me, her head pressed against my chest as she mumbled her confession into my chest. I knew my heart beat started to increase due to me being terrified of Claire leaving me. "But…" she continued, "I thought about later on tonight when I'd have to try and sleep without your arms wrapped around me." Her hands moved up and grasped my biceps, "And how I'd wake up tomorrow morning, on the off chance I actually did fall asleep, and you wouldn't be there. You wouldn't be there when I turned over and just stared at you in awe as you sleep. Every single morning I am blown away that someone as loving and handsome as you are actually mine. I never want my mornings to go any other way." At this point, we both gravitated toward the bed, sitting down on the plush duvet cover and holding hands as Claire spoke her mind. "I want to marry you, Owen. I want to spend my life with you and I know for a fact that I will _never_ regret my decision. I want to have babies with you and go on vacations with you and laugh with you and cry with you. Hell, I even don't mind fighting with you. You need to stop doubting yourself." Her hand brushed across my jawline and I finally looked up at her.

With a shaky breath, I leaned in and kissed her lovingly on the lips, pushing a lock of her stray hair behind her ear and admiring her beauty. "How did I get so lucky?" I asked simply before kissing her again, once on the lips, then the nose. My heart fluttered as she giggled and swatted playfully at my chest.

"Let's go finish our game." She whispered into the stagnant air between us.

"Or, we could start a new game in here." I offered seductively, gesturing toward the bed we were sitting on and licking my lips. The flash of arousal glimmering in Claire's eyes didn't go unnoticed by me as she mirrored me by licking her own lips.

"But I wanna win Monopoly." Claire told me matter-o-factly, beginning to play with the hair at the base of my neck as she shuffled closer toward me. I felt myself shiver as her fingers danced through my unruly hair and teased it at the base of my neck. My comeback was halted when I noticed Claire moving toward me slowly and placing a lingering kiss where my skin ends and the collar of my shirt begins. The moan that followed was accidental, an instinct I couldn't prevent from happening.

"You're never gonna beat me at Monopoly, love." I told her, blinking slowly a few times, embracing the soft kisses she was trailing across my collarbone. "But I don't have a problem helping you win at another game." I smirked at the clever word play that we had going on.

I grasped her hips suddenly and relocate us higher up on the bed. My back smacked against the headboard with a solid _thud!_ as Claire releases a surprised squeal and obediently straddled my lap, resting most of her weight on my crotch. I untuck her shirt from her pants and let my fingers trace over the skin that rested there, enjoying the silky smooth feeling beneath my fingers. Claire sighed aloud and brought her head down to rest on my shoulder, turning her head toward my neck and leaving wet kisses just under my ear.

"So this wedding…" I choked out, making Claire lift her head once again and search my baby blues for any trace of doubt. When she didn't find any, the smile that spread across her face encompassed my whole being and made it nearly impossible for me to think of anything else besides the woman whole was currently seated on my lap. Her eyes bore into my soul, begging me to finish my sentence. "I can admit when I've made a mistake. I shouldn't have doubted you or your feelings for me, or _us._ I want to be with you, forever, and I now realize you have the same feelings and I'm in this. I'm committed all the way. 110% Claire. Let's get married." Before I could finish my last word, Claire's arms were wound around my neck, pulling my lips to hers. The hunger between the two of us was unmistakeable. I couldn't tell where my skin stopped and Claire's began, but I was on board for it all. "I'm sorry for doubting you.'' I mumbled when Claire separated us to catch her breath. Her chest was heaving and I swear I could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

"I forgive you, just don't be so stupid ever again. Got it?" I chuckled at her breathlessly, but nodded at her. My fingers moved a little lower on her back and immediately were greeted by the lace fabric of her panties. My eyebrows rose as I stared at her and she rolled her eyes at me when I whistled at just the feel of them. To take her by surprise even more, I hook my finger around the material of her underwear and tugged at it gently, making every nerve in her body focus on my actions. I snapped the cloth back into place and felt her jump slightly in my lap. The small moan she released made my pants begin to tighten and chills run down my spine.

She shimmies suddenly, moving up onto her knees while she tried to rid herself of her pants as easily and quickly as she could. Her crotch was in my face as Claire tried her best to unzip and remove the article of clothing. I was mesmerized. My hands instinctively grabbed onto the backs of her thighs and locked her in place where she was. Claire squeaked from above me, looking down at me as she ran her fingers through my hair.

"What are you doing?" She panted, trying to sit back down on my lap. My grip on her thighs prevented her from moving. I knew that if I didn't let them go soon, they would definitely bruise in the morning, but something in me snapped and my fingers and my brain were not listening to one another. Her pants were now completely off and the patterns she was tracing in my hair are sending delicious tingles throughout my whole body.

"Do something." Claire requested simply, making my heart skip a beat and rid her of my tee shirt she had been wearing around the house. I threw it carelessly aside, not worrying about its placement for the time being and placing my nose directly on the fabric of her underwear in front of me. I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, breathing in the scent of her mound. My cock was suffocating in my sweat pants and my need for it to be released from its confinements were happily met when I felt Claire reach backwards and expertly tug down my sweats and boxers just enough for me to be set free.

"Much better." I simply stated, making her giggle as she brought her arms back to the top of my head to continue her exploring. The giggles came to a halt when I used my nose to bump at her most sensitive spot and her hips thrust into my face. A gentle "fuck" fell from her lips and I opened my eyes to look up at her and witness for myself the beauty that is Claire when she is aroused. As I looked up, she was ridding herself of her bra and tossing it into the imaginary pile on the floor before looking down at me with questioning eyes.

"How does this work? I've never done this before either." She admitted without shame, begging to be told what to do. My grip on her thighs loosened and moved to her ass, pushing her toward my face more so I could figure it out myself.

"I have no clue. Saw it in a porno once. We'll just have to figure it out." All of my words came rushing out rapidly due to my excitement and I paused for a quick beat to see if Claire was going to yell at me for the porn comment. When she didn't, I knew I could continue. I spread her knees a little wider and sunk down so I was laying flat on my back, with her straddling my chest. Her hands came down and gripped onto the headboard in front of her, searching my eyes for instructions. "Just bring yourself up to my face and sit." I suggested with a shrug of my shoulders. She scoffed at my cluelessness and brought herself up onto her knees again and ripped the tee shirt off my back. I kicked off my sweats and boxers the rest of the way and looked back up at her, nodding to let her know I was ready whenever she was.

"If you can't breathe, just push me off." She was nervous.

"Isn't that kind of the point, honey?" I reciprocated.

She brought herself over my face and as she lowered herself down at an excruciatingly slow rate, I heard her shakily exhale. I licked my lips in anticipation and brought my hands up to hold onto her butt and thighs once again. When she was finally seated on my face, I pulled her down toward me and licked up her whole slit in one long swipe of my tongue. I felt her thighs shake on the sides of my head and my biceps constricted as I held her in place on me. A string of profanities fell from Claire's pretty lips and she leaned forward against the wall. With her legs spread slightly, I didn't need to hold her open much, which made my task relatively easy. I knew all of the spots in Claire that made her react and I planned on using every trick I had up my sleeve to get her to cum as hard as I possibly could.

The laziness of this whole situation seemed to turn me on more. I was in no rush and Claire didn't have a choice. My cock was standing at attention and Claire was too lost in her own pleasure to take notice, so I figured I'd help myself out. I wrapped one of my hands around the girth of my throbbing member and gave it a few practice pumps, sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through my whole body. The groan that tumbled from my lips was accidental, but the vibrations it caused on Claire's sensitive nub seemed to be an award in their own.

I continued to touch myself all while pulling Claire infinitely closer to my face and humming into her, making her toss her head back in pure ecstasy and pull wildly at her erect nipples. The profanities that were slurring out of her usually pristine mouth were riling me up more. Her hair was all over the place. Some was matted to the side of her face from all of the sweat she had shed while some was swaying at her lower back, daring me to look away.

When I thought about having Claire ride my face, I never thought I'd receive so much pleasure from it as well. I knew I'd get turned on, that was a given, but watching Claire lose control above my face like this was something new entirely. When I looked up again, she was looking down at me, mouth hanging open and eyes trying their hardest to stay open.

"Don't hold back, I can take it." I mumbled against her inner thigh when I noticed she still wasn't putting all of her weight on me. I heard her groan and slide her knees apart a fraction of an inch more, but that still wasn't enough. "All of it, sweetheart." I commanded, making her eyebrows knit together in aggravation as she looked down at me some more.

"I'm not gonna suffocate you, Owen." She countered, placing her hands on the headboard and shifting taking most of her weight off her knees.

"I'm literally asking you to, Claire. I need you to." My response was breathy and practically begging, but it was truthful. She huffed some more and stood her ground. Her knees were still drilling into the same part of the bed next to my head and she was holding most of her weight up with her arms as well. I moved my hands from her ass to her knees and forced them apart some more. She squealed quietly to herself at being opened wider in her aroused state, but I kept moving them apart until I knew she couldn't spread any wider and would be forced to put all of her weight on my face. "Much better."

Having Claire spread open above me, my hands gripping onto her butt and pulling her deadweight even closer to me all while my tongue made torturous patterns on her sex were eliciting a new set of noises from Claire I had never heard. The desperate pants she was releasing made my mouth move faster and my tongue lap up even more of her juices as I continued to rile her up. The lower half of my face was slick with her arousal and my eyes couldn't make themselves close even if they wanted to. Claire was starting to spiral. She no longer had any control over her body. My nose was teasing her clit while my tongue was driving the rest of her wild. I brought one of my hands up to tease at her nipples and Claire's hands moved to my hair again to tug and thank me for the pleasure I was giving her.

When she finally came, it was something completely different. The waves of ecstasy that rushed through her made her whole body shiver. Her toes pointed and buried themselves into the duvet still neatly folded under us and her grip on my hair intensified. She was tugging and pulling at it with such force that I had to moan into her to try and communicate to her that she was pulling too hard. I had to man up and take it though because when she didn't get the hint, she came instead. Her juices came flowing freely down into my mouth as I lapped them up at a more than eager pace. I could eat her out forever and never get bored of it. When she was done, she all but collapsed on the wall in from of her as her chest heaved to try and take in enough air for her to survive. My own hand that was pleasuring my member was increasing in speed as hit my own high and released up onto my own body, not really caring where my cum landed at that point.

After a moment of heavy breathing, Claire shimmied off of my face and moved to sit on my torso. The sensitivity was too much for her and when she placed her weight on my stomach, her body convulsed again, a shockwave of pleasure coursing through her body once again. She gave up on sitting and collapsed next to me on the mattress, cuddling into my side.

"We are gonna have to wash these sheets again." She mumbled into my armpit. "You just came on my back and now its on our new duvet cover." I couldn't help but laugh at this and Claire happily joined in. I turned to her and left loving kisses on her face and hairline.

"No way the neighbors didn't hear us. You have never been so vocal." I watched as my confession made her cheeks tint pink and she buried her face deeper into my neck now. "Hey, I liked it. A lot. Be as vocal as you want. Reminds me of how good a job I'm doing." At that I felt her chuckle again and mumble something into me again, but the exhaustion that was blanketing her body was making her mumble. "A little louder, sweetheart." I ruffled her hair slightly to get her attention. She lifted her head and placed it on my chest, leaving little kisses on my scars before repeating herself.

"Guess you're just gonna have to build me a cabin in the woods somewhere so we can be as loud as we want." The smirk on her face melted my heart and reminded me again and again why I was so in love with this woman.

"If it's a cabin you want, it's a cabin you're gonna get, m'lady." There was a comfortable silence and I was about to drift to sleep when I felt Claire shuffle against my side, bringing her leg up to intertwine with my own. We rubbed our legs together for a while as I played with her hair and she traced shapes out on my chest.

"So this wedding better happen soon, because this cabin is the only thing on my mind now." She hummed to let me know she heard me and added onto my thoughts.

"A couple extra rooms. One for an office and then some kids."

"A big plot of land around it for any pets they ever want to get. I know I'll never be able to tell them no, so you'll have to be the bad cop in most situations, I'll tell you that now." She chuckled at my confession and swatted at my chest. "How about we build the cabin first and get married in the land around it." The room went silent and my heart started to accelerate.

"That's the best idea I've ever heard. Sharing our love with all of our loved ones in the place we love the most."

"I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you, Claire Dearing."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Owen Grady."

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	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone! I know it has been forever since I last updated and I am really sorry! I've been crazy busy with life in general and hope this chapter can make up for it. Please let me know what you think! Can't wait to post the next chapter!**

When Claire set her mind to something, it was nearly impossible to stop her. We had had a serious talk a couple of nights ago about "life after the island" and how we wouldn't want to raise a family here, but also this island was our home. We had met here and it was this island where my endless flirting somehow worked on Claire and we started our relationship together. All of our firsts were here and it would be hard to see it go, but it's what needed to be done and we both knew it.

Claire asked Masrani to make an appearance on the island so he could have a meeting with the two of us to discuss future endeavors. When the eighth richest man in the world knocked on the door of our apartment and Claire so easily hugged him and called him "Simon", I knew I shouldn't have been as nervous as I was. Claire showed no fear as she laid out the facts for him. We were getting married and didn't want it to happen on the island. Then, we were going to build a house that we would live in together and we didn't want it to happen on the island. Then eventually, we were going to have children and we didn't want that to happen on the island either. Simon was quiet for a majority of the meeting and let Claire get everything out that she wanted while I stood next to her and supported her decisions. In the end, somehow, Simon understood and as sad as he was to see us go, he would let us both walk away, regardless of what our contracts said. He did try to talk us into staying, but nothing seemed as important as our impending future together and Simon told us he knew exactly what we were feeling.

It wasn't until after he left the apartment that Claire broke down. Her tears were inevitable, but what I mistook as financial insecurity was actually what she compared to as the loss of a loved one. She told me about how this island, this gorgeous, dinosaur infested island, had been the only home she knew since she was nineteen. Still in college and having the whole world at her fingertips was the last thing she remembered before the internship that she had explained to me in full detail one night when neither of us could sleep. She told me of the unbelievable things she had seen and the lovely people she had met during the internship, as well as that night. The night that flipped her world upside down, but she told me it was for the better. As sad and horrified as she was, it had been a learning experience and she wouldn't be where she is today if she had doubted herself as much as she used to.

The regret was the hardest part for her. Claire had missed so much and couldn't even talk to her own mother. Karen had to deliver the message of her father's bad heart and sadly, when he died, Claire bottled up all of her emotions and used the pain she felt to work harder. That was how her mother had seen it anyways. She accused her of not caring at all and abandoning their family when they needed her most. Karen understood, but her toxic husband tried to keep the boys away from her as much as he could. It took years to get the boys to visit Claire, not like she had tried very hard to get them on the island. Claire tries not to think about "life before Owen" as she so lovingly calls it. Karen always tells me I brought Claire back from the emotional dead, but I think she was just too scared she was going to get hurt again if she put herself out there.

When our alarm blared at the early hours of the morning, our bedroom was filled with a harmonious groan before Claire reached over me to turn the alarm off. She dropped her dead weight onto my chest and exhaled, opening one eye to make sure the time was correct. I played with her hair lovingly before stretching my arms above my head. When I looked back down at Claire, I chuckled to myself when I saw she had her nose buried in her phone and was quickly skimming through the emails she had received since coming home from work yesterday. She looked up and me and smirked, leaning up to kiss my lips before I got out of bed to shower. I turned around at the door frame and smiled when I saw she had repositioned herself into my side of the bed, taking in my smell and warmth.

The water heated up quickly which I was grateful for every morning, but the second I stood in the stream of water, I heard Claire gasp from our bed. I curiously stuck my head out of the glass door and listened in, just in case Claire called my name. When she didn't, I continued my shower, but finished quicker than I normally would have. The moment I had my towel wrapped around my waist, Claire's arms had flown around my neck.

"We are free!" Claire sang into the air, leaning her head back and away from my chest so I'd have no trouble understanding her.

"And by free, you mean what?" I asked, confused.

"Masrani sent our a park wide email this morning. You probably would have already known if you checked your email," she teased me, "But it is officially official! This is both of our last weeks at Jurassic World!" My eyes widened and I wrapped Claire in a bearhug before picking her up and spinning her around. It isn't that we hated our jobs at all, but we were just ready for a new chapter to begin. When I set Claire back on her feet, the smile that was spread across her face was more contagious than ever.

"So this is happening?!" I asked in disbelief. She simply nodded her head at me and placed both of her hands on my cheeks, bringing me in for a searing kiss, holding me as close to her as humanly possible. When we pulled away, we sort of just stared at each other for a moment. "Wow… you're no longer my boss." I teased, chuckling when I heard Claire snort before playfully smacking my chest. "Don't know if I'm as attracted to you now." The look on her face was priceless. A singular, perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised high as her head tilted slightly to the side.

"No? That's just too bad for you then. I was going to wear that little red thing you love so much tonight as a celebration, but if you don't even find me attractive anymore, what's the point?" The second the words left her mouth, I had scooped her up off of the ground again and placed her gently on the bathroom sink. She inhaled a dramatic breath as her bare bottom made contact with the freezing cold countertop so I brought my hands down and rubbed loving circles on the sides of her thighs to try and warm her up. Claire's arms lazily rested on my shoulders and her hands played with the freshly cut hair at the back of my neck.

"Have I told you yet how happy I am that you finally got your haircut." Claire teased me, leaning in to gently kiss the side of my mouth, muffing my response to her.

"Yeah, you brought it up once or twice last night." Her only response was a satisfied hum while her lips started their delightful journey down to my neck.

"Can't believe this is finally happening." I muttered to myself. Claire and I had dreamed of the day we could actually leave this island and I was over the moon that she could finally relax for once in her life. I was lost in my own daydream; thinking of the life we can start together and all of the new memories we have yet to make. The vision of Claire running around outside with our children and maybe a dog or two. The cabin I built for us standing tall and strong in the back of my mind, my hands itching to begin construction on it. Claire must have noticed my absence to the events in front of me because I was snapped out of my fairytale when her lips stopped their movement on my neck and I felt her sit back so she could look at me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She knew exactly what I had been thinking about and it made my heart jump when she spoke about it. I didn't know how to respond, so I simply just buried my face in her neck and inhaled her scent. This was my happy place and that was never going to change.

We were broken out of our embrace when Claire's phone started to go off like crazy. She sighed as she pulled away and saw that Zara was calling her… again. We must have missed the first one during our celebration and Claire picked it up rather quickly.

"Dearing." Claire stated, never one for long winded conversations over the phone with someone other than me. We were close enough in proximity where I could hear everything Zara was saying.

"Tell me it isn't true." Zara all but begged Claire.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, Zara."

"Cut the shit, Claire. Are you actually leaving the island?" Claire was silent for a beat, looking up at me with suddenly sad eyes.

"It is true. We need our own life away from this island."

"Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have been mad. I'm more upset now that I had to find out from a bloody chain email." Again, Zara was meet with a silent Claire who, for once in her life, was at a loss for words. She looked up at me and her eyes had tears welling in them. I lovingly rubbed her thighs again to try and calm her down as she swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.

"I just… knew it would've been too hard." It was Zara's turn to be silent. A quiet sniffle could be heard on the other end of the phone. "Please don't cry, Zara! This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Next came a throaty laugh before she responded.

"Well, I guess we have to make this your best last week ever. I'll see you in the office...boss." It was Claire's turn to laugh which brought my happy mood back as the sassy, sarcastic assistant hung up and we were able to resume our morning.

After a quite frisky shower together, we made our way to our respective cars and said our goodbyes for the day before heading off to work. Barry was more than happy for me, but seeing my raptor pack was harder than I thought it was going to be. I had raised these animals as my own; I was their alpha and it was going to take a lot of training and work to have them take all of their orders from Barry alone now. We had been bringing Barry in on every training session recently because I knew this was in the cards for me. My day began like any other, I made my way into my office to put all of my belongings in there before heading out to begin feeding the girls. Much to my dismay, Barry had already began the feeding process which hurt me more than I thought it would. He was simply doing his job and in a weeks time this would literally be what he is in charge of, but witnessing someone else bonding so well with my girls was way harder than I ever could have imagined. I turned on my heels and made my way back to my office to cool off. I dropped myself into my plush office chair before pulling my phone out and calling Claire. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, baby. Hold on one second, I'm just finishing up today's debriefing with Zara." I waited patiently for a moment before she began again. "Okay, hi, sorry. What's up? Miss me already?" She teased, making my mood change instantly.

"I always miss you, Claire, you know that." I was silent after that though, not sure where to begin.

"Owen? What's wrong?" I exhaled.

"Just having a bit of trouble letting Barry take over. Like, I know he is just as qualified as me and I'm the one choosing to leave, but it just sucks." I heard her hum to let me know she heard me as I continued to rant. "Like, Claire, I am so excited to get off this island and just be normal people again, ya know?"

"I know, honey, but it's hard. Harder than I thought it was going to be and I don't even work with any cute dinosaurs I raised by hand." This made both of us laugh.

"See? This is why I called you. You always know what to say. Okay, sorry I bothered you, you can go back to work now."

"Never a bother, Owen, but my next meeting starts in 15 minutes so I have to race there now. Sorry to end so abruptly."

"No problem! I'll have dinner ready when you get home tonight, just text me what you're craving and when you think you're going to be home."

"God, this is why you're the love of my life." Claire moaned over the line, "But I do have to go now. Love you, Owen." I chuckled to myself.

"I love you too, Claire. Good luck at your meeting."

I took a deep breath before getting up and heading out to the enclosure to supervise as Barry fed and did the training run through with the girls for the day. The heat and mugginess seemed to be at an all time high and by the end of the day we were both dripping in sweat. My sweat rag itself was too saturated to even make a difference, so I headed right home to take a shower and begin dinner.

Claire had said she wanted spaghetti which was easy enough for me, so I had enough time to shower before starting the pasta. As if like clockwork, Claire waltzed into our apartment the exact moment I was plating the food, kicking her ballet flats off delicately in the foyer before prancing happily into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around my neck and smacked her lips against mine in the most loving way before grabbing a bowl and a fork and sitting down at the table.

"Looks like someone's in a good mood." I grabbed my own bowl and fork and followed her lead to the table, watching carefully as her hips swayed as she walked. Dinner was as eventful as it could have been and soon enough we were in bed, prepping for another day of dinosaurs and meetings.

The rest of the week went by relatively quickly, but the closer and closer we got to the end, the more reluctant Claire seemed. The mystery of our new situation was stressing her out more than she thought it would. The constant reminders that this early retirement was Claire's idea and that she isn't regretting any of our decisions were appreciated. She had called Karen on Wednesday and told her the good news, which made Claire practically go deaf by the volume of her excited scream on the other end of the phone. We were going to be moving in with Karen and the boys while we looked for a plot of land large enough for what we had envisioned. Everything was slowly, but surely being boxed up and labelled with one of Claire's many colored markers. She had some sort of system, but to me, they were simply different colors.

The boxes of our belongings were stacking up in our hallways and slowly making their way out into the foyer waiting to be piled into the back of my truck. I had to take them to the post office to get them shipped out to Karen's house and that alone was stressing Claire out because she had no control over when the boxes would arrive. Masrani paid for us to ship all of our belongings out as a going away gift, but that didn't stop him from piling Claire with other presents as well. We knew he had a special place in his heart for Claire and seeing her leave the island was hard for him, but he was also very happy for the two of us and even begged us to invite him to our wedding.

Emotional goodbyes to all of our colleagues were inevitable and the last thing Claire wanted to do on our final day. With endless nagging from me, we addressed all of the people that had surrounded us for all of these years. They had become family and as much as we complained about them after a long stressful day of work, we would miss them.

The car ride to the dock was silent as I drove and Claire stared at all of the memories this island held as we drove by them. Her hand was locked in mine over the middle console, but she wouldn't make eye contact with me. I was stroking my thumb gently over the delicate skin on the back of her hand while I hummed along to the country song playing on the radio. A deep sigh from she side of the car grabbed my attention and stopped my humming immediately.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" I asked her, needing to know what she was thinking. Claire tucked her feet under her body and repositioned her body to face me. I smirked at her before sending a smile her way that made me close my eyes and show all of my teeth. In turn, she released a wild giggle and disconnected our hands to swat at my chest playfully.

"I'm going to miss this place is all. It's been my home for such a long time and I didn't think it was going to be this hard to say goodbye." Before I could say anything in response, a stray tear slid down her face, but the smile remained. I brought my hand up to wipe it from her cheek gently with my thumb right as we were pulling into the loading area. I pulled my truck into the designated area and Claire got out to figure out where we needed to put the truck with all of our belongings before we ventured back to the mainland.

"Ready to start fresh?" I asked her when we finally got settled on the ferry. Claire of course had gotten us one of those nice private rooms for the trip back so we could be comfortable and have a significant amount of privacy.

"Fresh?" She laughed. "We are moving in with my older sister and her children." Claire all but snorted making me laugh as well.

"But soon," I started, moving in closer and nuzzling into her neck. "We will be building our dream house and getting married." I left a delicate kiss on her throat and watched as goosebumps arose rapidly on her pristine skin. Claire released a shaky sigh as she ran her hands through my hair.

"As much as I nag you about getting your hair cut, I'm always so sad when it's all gone. I like shaggy Owen." Her head lolled back as my lips slowly made their way up her neck. When I finally made it up to her lips, she basically pounced on my lap, straddling me and wiggling to get herself more comfortable. I groaned at the sensation and nipped at her bottom lip, moving my hands down to rest on her upper legs and rubbing in a gentle circular pattern.

"Are we really about to do this?" Claire mumbled against my lips, opening her eyes and taking my breath away. I smiled up at her and nodded my head subtly before responding.

"Don't act like this is the strangest place we've ever had sex…" I teased her, pinching her lovingly on the hip. She scrunched her nose in the cutest way humanly possible and touched her forehead against mine, rubbing our noses together.

"I really love you, Grady."

"The feelings mutual, almost Mrs Grady."

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